


Only One

by Janie94



Category: Actor RPF, Real Person Fiction, Supernatural, Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alpha!Dean, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Arranged Marriage, Jensen Ackles and Dean Winchester are Siblings, M/M, Misha Collins and Castiel as well, Omega!Misha, omega!Jensen, omega!cas
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-05
Updated: 2016-12-05
Packaged: 2018-09-06 17:34:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 51,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8762512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Janie94/pseuds/Janie94
Summary: Since Rufus' violent death a few months ago, the Winchester clan is beginning to fall apart. Their leader John only sees one way to ensure his clan's future: They need to have a mated Omega to bring joy and happiness back to their clan. And so he arranges a marriage between his oldest son Dean and Misha, one of the Omegas of the nearby Novak clan. John and their leader Michael are both happy with the match that will ensure the Winchesters happiness and the Novaks more power, but then the unthinkable happens.Soon after the marriage Dean's brother Jensen - an Omega himself - falls for Misha while Dean develops feelings for Misha's brother Castiel. Will they all have the strength to do right by their families or will it end in tragedy?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be my entry for the DeanCas Big Bang 2015, but I was too busy writing other stuff. Same thing this year.  
> So I'm now posting everything I have aleady written (approx. two thirds of the story) to get this off my chest. If enough people are interested, I could be convinced to finish this.

 

**Only One**

 

ACDC’s “Back In Black” had just ended when Dean pulled his ’67 Chevrolet Impala into the parking lot. He switched off the engine and turned his head towards his gigantic little brother.

“Ready, Sam?”

The man didn’t react but his face had turned ashen and he was trembling.

“Come on, don’t get worked up over a job,” Dean chuckled.

“It’s more than just a job. Novak Ltd. is the best lawyer agency in the US. It’s the chance of my lifetime.”

Dean was really trying to understand how someone could make such a fuss about a job especially if they had Sam’s qualifications, but he was a bit too occupied with his own problems.

His dad had talked to him yesterday and announced that he expected his eldest son to finally get married and make a family. Not that Dean usually cared much about what his imperious father wanted, but John was the official head of their family and if he wanted his oldest son to marry then there was no way out. Dean shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts and patted his brother on the back.

“They’ll take you if they know what’s good for them.”

Sam nodded and reluctantly exited the car. Dean watched him enter the tall building before driving away again. Bobby wouldn’t be pleased if he showed up to work even later than usual and he still needed to pick up his twin brother Jensen. Dean smiled when he thought about his three minutes younger brother. They had always been inseparable even more so than Dean and Sam. One of the reasons probably was the sad fact that both of them had largely raised Sam on their own. 

Their mother had died in a fire when Sam had just been a little baby. Dean and Jensen had been only four years old, but they still remembered that day too well. John had shoved the screaming baby into Dean’s arms and ordered him to take Sam out of the burning house and into safety. He had been so terrified especially when he had stood outside and realized in the chaos of curious spectators and emergency services that Jensen wasn’t with him. He had almost run back into the house, the danger for Sam in his arms the only thing holding him back. Just minutes later two firemen had dragged John out of the house, a third one carrying an unconscious Jensen. John’s eyes had turned a feral red while he had been fighting tooth and nail to get back and rescue his mate. It was an understandable behavior yet Dean had never been so afraid of his father. At least until then. He had watched a police officer shoot John down with a little tranquilizer dart, his father slipping into unconsciousness with a defeated growl. Thankfully Bobby and Ellen, both of them close friends and members of the pack, had shown up that moment. The Winchesters had stayed at Ellen’s bar  _The Roadhouse_ for almost half a year before moving into a new home. Since that incident John had never been the same. The grief of losing his mate had broken him and only alcohol seemed to make the pain go away. And while Dean had sympathized him at first, all he could feel now was a strange mix of pity and hatred. Not only had John abandoned his three sons, he had also taken out his frustration and anger on them. One day shortly after Dean’s and Jensen’s sixteenth birthday in particular had sealed the deal…

 

_It was the sweet smell that woke Dean from his peaceful slumber. He was still blinking away the sleep in his eyes when it hit full force and he was becoming dizzy. He had no idea what was happening and for a moment he thought he was still dreaming, but then he could hear a pained groan from Jensen’s room next to his. Without thinking Dean burst into his brother’s room ready to attack whoever was hurting Jensen, but nobody else was in the room. Jensen was lying on his back, the sheets thrown off the bed and he was panting hard. The room was filled with that sweet scent which had disturbed Dean’s sleep and to his own horror Dean was becoming hard._

_Jensen opened his eyes, clouded green emeralds staring up to his brother._

“ _Dean,” he moaned and suddenly his hands shot up and enveloped around the older one’s neck. Dean yelped in surprise when he was pulled forward and landed on top of his brother, their upper bodies naked and heated skin touching. The moment their bodies came in contact something burst in Dean’s mind and all he could think about was the beautiful, willing body under him and he crashed their lips together in a hard kiss. Jensen groaned into the kiss, his hips instinctively pushing upwards and rubbing their erections together. Growling at the sensation Dean began to rut against Jensen who was spreading his legs, both of them desperate for friction. The younger one was already leaking, his slick seeping through Dean’s boxers and only adding more to his arousal._

_The twins were so far gone they didn’t even hear the door being thrown open and an angered “No!” before John was at their side and overbearing Dean. The latter snarled at the intrusion of their intended mating, his body already surging forward to tear the intruding Alpha apart. But Dean was not himself and only acting on instinct therefore John didn’t have to put up much of a fight to drag his eldest son out of the room. They were halfway through the doorway when John shouted over his shoulder to the silent person frozen in the middle of the room._

“ _Sam, stay with Jensen. Make sure he remains exactly where he is!”_

_The last thing Dean was able to see before John locked him into his own room was twelve year old Sam’s terrified face as he gripped Jensen who was attempting to get off the bed and follow Dean outside…_

 

Dean was jolted out of his memory when the door to the Impala opened and Jensen was sliding into the seat next to him.

“So how’s Sam doing?”

“As expected I guess. He was working himself up when I left him.”

Jensen chuckled lightly. “Yeah, I can imagine that.”

They stayed in silence for the rest of the ride, but Dean could constantly feel Jensen’s eyes on him. Only when he had stopped at Bobby’s house, did Jensen finally speak. “So what about you and Dad? I heard you fighting yesterday.”

“Yeah, when do we not?”

But Jensen was of course not fooled that easily and waited patiently for his brother to go on. Dean sighed defeatedly. “Dad wants me to marry.”

What he had considered to be a major bomb was apparently none for Jensen who didn’t look that surprised. “Yeah, I guessed that much. He’s been talking about that for years.”

“He was never serious about it and only joked about wanting grandchildren soon. But yesterday he told me that he has already made a few contacts regarding a fitting mate.”

Jensen’s face dropped. “Oh. So you won’t get any say in that matter?”

“It’s not uncommon, we all know that. But I always thought we weren’t that kind of family and I would find a mate when the time is right.”

Dean felt a wave of sympathy rolling off his Omega brother and it calmed him immediately.

“Maybe I could talk with Dad and make him see reason.”

Dean shook his head. “No, it’s not gonna matter. He has already made up his mind.”

“But why the rush? You’re 32, it’s not like your time is ticking.”

That was exactly what Dean had wondered yesterday as well.

“He said the Omega he has chosen belongs to a powerful family and if we don’t consent now, they will marry him off to someone else.”

“Him?” Jensen repeated. “But you’ve never been with a man before. I thought you were just into women.”

Dean chuckled humorlessly. “Doesn’t seem to matter. And frankly that’s the least problem I’m having with this situation.”

“You said your mate is gonna be an Omega. Do you think that’s why John is in such a hurry? After Mom’s death all those years ago, he always said we needed a mated Omega to keep us together.”

Dean nodded thoughtfully. “It’s possible. After Rufus was murdered last year, the grief almost took the whole clan down. I’m pretty sure you were the only thing holding us together.”

“Thanks,” Jensen said with a sad smile. “But I’m not mated, so I won’t be enough if something like this happens again. That’s why I was sure Dad would marry me off first. As a mated Omega I would have my full powers and be able to root the clan.”

Even though Dean hated the thought, he had to agree.

“That’s what he probably thought too. But now he’s got the chance to have two Omegas in our pack. Of course he won’t let that pass by.”

They got interrupted by a loud banging on the window of the Impala.

“Are you idjits gonna work or not?”

The two brothers exited the car with a small smile aimed at Bobby and within the next few hours, the topic of Dean’s upcoming marriage didn’t come back up. Dean was just fixing up one of the rusty pick-ups with his friend Benny’s help when his phone rang. Dean didn’t really have to look at the display to know who it was.

“Finally, Sam. I thought they ate you on your job interview after all.”

“ _Hello to you too, Dean.”_ Sam replied amusedly.

“How did it go? They took you, right?”

“ _Yes, they did. You were right, they were pretty impressed by my qualifications.”_

Dean exhaled in relief. “See? I told you. When will you start working there?”

“ _On Monday. I also met my department head, Gabriel, he’s one of the Novak family.”_

“Gabriel, huh? So you’re on first names already?” Dean teased and he was sure if Sam were here, he would shove him for that comment.

“ _Apparently everyone calls him Gabriel. Looks like he doesn’t like formalities. Anyway, he seems pretty nice. A bit insolent but nice.”_

Jensen chose this moment to appear at Dean’s side and the older one wisely kept his mouth shut. Jensen took the cell from Dean’s hand.

“Hey Sam, I heard everything. Congratulations to your new job.”

“ _Thanks, Jay. It’s been about time. I’m sure if I hadn’t got one soon, Dad would have dragged me to Bobby to work as a mechanic as well.”_

“Hey, mechanic’s a great job,” Dean interrupted with a disapproving glare at the cellphone.

“ _I know, but it wouldn’t work for me.”_

Jensen chuckled lightly. “Yeah, I can’t imagine you around all that oil and dirt. Books suit you much better.”

 

-0-

 

Something was off. Michael was smiling every time he crossed Misha’s path whereas their father Chuck occasionally sent Misha a worrying look. Only Lucifer seemed to be his usual snarky self which wasn’t very comforting.

When Misha once again noticed the way his oldest brother and Chuck were looking at him over the dinner table, he had had enough.

“Okay, what’s wrong? Why does everyone keep staring at me?”

The surprise on Castiel’s side already showed that he was as clueless as Misha. Their big sister Anna on the other hand dropped her head and stared at her plate as though it was the most interesting thing in the world. Misha could feel her pity nevertheless and it only irritated him more. Their father Chuck was meeting Misha’s look with so much empathy that he understood why many mistook their Beta father for an Omega upon the first meeting. As always Misha ignored Lucifer. The Alpha managed to make him uncomfortable whenever he was in the same room. So he focused on their leader Michael who was carefully putting his silverware away before he looked at Misha with that overjoyed smile again.

“Lately I’ve been in contact with another clan near Dallas. They possess a large territory that we could benefit from considering how many companies have settled down there.”

There was obviously more to this.

“That’s good to hear,” Misha replied in an attempt to sound interested. “And?”

“Well, as chance would have it, he is searching for an Omega mate for his oldest son who happens to be his second-in-command.”

Misha swallowed hard. He had always known this day would come and to be honest he had expected this much sooner, but he still felt his heartbeat speed up. He was glad that his voice sounded much calmer than he felt. “And you thought of me.”

“Exactly. Don’t worry, I have done my research. The Winchester clan seems to be exceptionally Omega friendly. Not that surprising since John also has an Omega son. I’m sure you will get along there fine.”

There was a warning hint in Michael’s voice that indicated Misha would do well to make it work.

Misha was glad when he felt Castiel’s calming hand on his knee. He cleared his throat. “What’s his name?”

“Dean,” Michael answered matter-of-factly. “I arranged for him to visit us within the next week.”

Next week already? All of this was happening way too fast for Misha and he found it hard to breathe. “I think I need some air.”

He was up and out of the door within a few seconds, the cool night air clearing his head a bit. It came to no surprise when he was eventually joined by his twin brother. “Misha?”

Castiel’s voice was even softer than usual as though he was afraid his brother would break. “Misha, are you alright?”

Misha huffed. “No, I’m not. I’ll be married to someone I don’t even know. I’m far from alright.”

Castiel stepped closer, his hand coming up to touch Misha’s shoulder comfortingly. “You’re allowed to refuse after the official meeting.”

“Michael won’t let that happen, you know how he is. I’m his ticket to gain more power. Of course he’s going to sell me off.”

Castiel’s grip tightened. “Stop saying that. Michael is still our brother. If you’re unhappy with Dean, he’ll understand.”

“Michael stopped being our brother a long time ago. He had always been ambitious and power hungry, but I’ve never expected him to take over the clan after our mother’s death. I had always expected Dad to take over.”

The brothers fell into silence after Misha’s words. It had been a hard time for them after Rebecca Novak’s death. Though Chuck had been her official second-in-command, he lacked the spirit required for leadership. It had come to a bloody fight between the two oldest sons Michael and Lucifer which the former had won.

Michael had succeeded in making the clan more influential, but at the same time it had made all of them realize that their family was broken beyond repair. As their head Michael’s decisions were final and only Lucifer as his new second-in-command could doubt him. And as much as those two were at loggerheads constantly, there were a few things they agreed with each other. And if both of them were convinced that a marriage would help them gain more power, then there was no way out.

Misha leaned into Castiel’s touch in search for comfort. It was usually the other way around, but tonight Misha allowed himself to be weak in front of his little brother. 

Castiel’s deep voice was vibrating through his whole body. “I will miss you, Misha.”

They both tensed when they heard footsteps approaching them, but it was just Gabriel. His smile was sympathetic for a moment, but it turned mischievous quickly. “You know, I wonder why you’re out here whining like you’re about to marry a troll.” He swung his legs over the balcony balustrades, his golden eyes focusing on the twins. “I’ve seen his little brother Sam today. He had a job interview at our company.”

That peaked Misha’s interest. “The Omega brother?”

“No, I don’t think so unless he’s taking pills to distort his scent. But I’m sure he’s a Beta though he has the height of an Alpha.” Gabriel chuckled before continuing. “Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that Sam’s quite handsome and since they’re brothers I can’t imagine that your Dean is that bad looking.”

Misha blushed and averted his eyes. “He’s not  _my_ Dean.”

“Not yet,” Gabriel smirked. “But there’s still hope that Dean won’t like you after the meeting. That’s not too farfetched, I mean look at you. There’s no way he’s gonna pick you with me in the same room.”

This time Misha and Castiel were truly smiling despite the situation. 

“Gabe, I’m worried what will happen to Cas when I’m gone.”

Castiel’s bright blue eyes turned to Misha, but he ignored it. Gabriel’s smile didn’t waver. “I will watch out for him, I promise.”

_No, you can’t promise that_ , Misha thought. Gabriel had no idea what was really going on in this house, but there was no way he would tell him that.

Castiel embraced him from the side, his chin resting on Misha’s shoulder. “Stop worrying. Gabriel is right, I’m going to be fine.”

Misha nodded doubtfully and let it go.

 

-0-

 

When Dean and Jensen returned from work in the evening, Sam was already sitting in the living room with John, a proud smile on their father’s face. Jensen was the first to give Sam a bear hug while Dean was glancing nervously at his father. After the fight yesterday he had left the room fuming and he had expected things to be a bit strained now, but apparently he was wrong. John’s eyes were still warm when he looked at his oldest son.

“Jensen, Sam, would you excuse us? I need to talk with your brother alone.”

They both froze, unsure what to expect. John sighed amusedly. “I promise I won’t start a fight again.” 

Dean watched as Jensen and Sam retreated hesitantly to leave them alone.

As soon as they were out of the door John’s smile turned apologetic. “Will you please sit down, boy?”

“I’m not sure if that’s necessary,” Dean uttered calmly.

John sighed but nodded. “Fine. Dean, I just wanted to apologize.”

Dean couldn’t hide his surprise. John Winchester never apologized.

“For what?”

“For my behavior from yesterday,” he replied. Dean opened his mouth to say something but John raised his hand to silence him. “I’m not apologizing for arranging your marriage. I did what I thought was best for our clan and I still believe it is the right thing. But I’m sorry for lashing out at your objections.” Dean raised his brows questioningly so John added, “Yesterday I only saw my son rejecting my command. I forgot that you’re also the second leader of this pack and therefore have a right to voice your concerns.”

Dean waited for more, but apparently there was nothing more. “You know, that’s the shittiest apologize I’ve ever heard.” His smirk took the edge of the words though. 

John laughed before getting serious again. “I get why you’re annoyed, Dean. You imagined you would marry someone you fell in love with. But I had no other choice. Our pack needed a long time to get over Mary’s sudden death and I thought we would eventually be okay. Now that Rufus has been murdered though…” John’s eyes dropped to the open fire. “The pack wants revenge for his death. Revenge that is never going to happen since we don’t know who the murderer is.” 

Dean knew, he felt the same. His blood was boiling at the memory of finding Rufus’ mutilated body in his kitchen. Knowing that the monster responsible for that would get away with it was unacceptable.

“It’s gonna destroy us. We need a mated Omega to calm our minds, to take the pain away and bind us together again.”

John looked up to Dean, his eyes sorrowful. “I had a choice to make. Sam has just planned out his life and got a job. So either I would search someone for Jensen or for you. I picked you, because I know you’re the strong and responsible one. Jensen would break if I did this to him.”

That last sentence undid every ounce of sympathy Dean had developed for his father. “You’re wrong,” he argued coldly. “Jensen is stronger than me. I think it’s my job to look out for my two little brothers, to make sure they are okay. But it’s Jensen who ends up fixing us.”

John seemed like he wanted to object, but this time it was Dean who held up his hand in order to silence him. “No, you  _will_ listen to me. You think he is weak because he’s an Omega. But you fail to see that this is exactly why he is stronger than me, than all of us! Since he is an Omega, we’re supposed to protect him yet he always ends up protecting  _us_ . If it hadn’t been for him, our pack would have fallen apart after Mom’s death. And he was only four back then!”

Dean tried to get his ragged breathing under control while John watched him calmly. Several minutes passed until the older man spoke again. “I don’t love Jensen any less than you or Sam. But the world we live in is dangerous for Omegas. If we want to protect him, our clan needs to stay strong. So tell me, would you prefer if I had searched someone for Jensen? I could still do that, there are many Alphas who would sell their soul to get an Omega as a mate.”

Dean knew his father was playing him, but he couldn’t help it. The mere thought of Jensen having to spread his legs for another man buried every argument he would have put up. “No, I’ll do it. But I want you to promise me something.”

He paused for a moment to get John’s full attention before going on. “If I marry that Omega you picked for me, you’ll let Jensen and Sam marry whoever they want. Doesn’t matter if you’ll like their partners or not.”

John’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he nodded determinately. “Yes, I promise.”

Dean let out the breath he had been holding and finally sat down onto the couch. “So when will I meet my future husband?” he asked trying to sound casually.

John handed him a bottle of beer. “In five days. I arranged a meeting at the house of the Novaks for 4 pm on Sunday.”

That name again. “Novak? Aren’t they running the company where Sam’s gonna be working?”

“I’ve noticed. I didn’t know that when I talked with their leader Michael.”

They both stared into the open fire for a while.

“What’s his name?” Dean asked quietly. He didn’t need to specify who he was talking about.

“His name is Misha.”

A strange name, Dean reckoned.

They both fell into silence after that and it wasn't long before John excused himself for the night.

Dean stayed for a little while longer to finish his beer and he wondered how his future would look like. Would he and his husband – Misha – get along? And what would Misha expect from him? Dean felt far from ready for this and he wondered if Misha felt the same. 

Half an hour later Dean gave in and walked upstairs to his bedroom. Even though he didn't turn on the lights, he noticed immediately that he wasn't alone.

Sam and Jensen were sitting on his bed, both of them already in their pajamas and obviously waiting for him. The moment he was in the room their eyes turned to him and though Dean couldn't see their faces, he knew they were making sure he was okay.

“We didn't fight,” was all he said hoping his brothers would let it go.

Sam tilted his head. “We know. We would have heard something if you did.” He got up from the mattress and looked at Dean worriedly. “Is he still angry with you?”

Dean sighed. He had hoped they would let it go for a little while longer. “No, we're good. We talked and I think I understand now.” 

Jensen straightened and raised his brows, but didn't interrupt him.

“I gave my consent to the marriage.”

“What?” Sam asked him indignantly. “You're okay with Dad selling you off to someone you don't even know?”

His words weren't that far away from Dean's own, but Dean couldn't help defending his father. “That's not what this is and you know it!”

“I know what this is about, but as our leader _he_ should be the one cleaning up this mess, not you. It's not fair.”

Dean laughed though it sounded hollow even to his own ears. “When has life ever been fair, Sammy? If it was, Mom would still be alive.”

He regretted his words the moment he had said them. Her death was the tragedy which had been looming over their family for many years now, but they usually didn’t talk about it.

“Sammy, Jay, please let it go, okay? I'm tired.” Without waiting for their answer he lay down onto the bed right next to Jensen and closed his eyes hoping both of them would leave.

For a moment it was utterly silent and he could practically see them looking at each other at a loss of what to do. Then he could hear Sam's steps towards the door and him disappearing. The weight on the mattress next to Dean however stayed. He felt his twin's brother stretching out next to him, followed by an arm pulling at his shoulder. 

“Dean.”

The oldest brother allowed him to turn his body towards his and he opened his eyes to gaze at Jensen. His emerald green eyes - even a brighter shade than his own – were wide open. “Don't shut yourself off, Dean. It's okay to cry.”

He wasn't crying, but as Jensen had recognized some part of him would like to. Dean was never sure why he allowed Jensen to see how broken he was. Maybe the reason was because he was an Omega and his aura radiated off empathy, but he didn’t care. He nestled closer to his little brother until his head was resting awkwardly on the latter's chest. It made him look as small as he truly felt right now. “I'm supposed to be the strong one, I know that and it's okay. But sometimes it gets too much, especially when it comes to Mom. Sam didn't know her, he was just a baby, for Christ's sake! But you and me, we remember her and it hurts.”

He wasn't sure why exactly he was saying this though Jensen somehow seemed to know. “Yes, it does and Sam knows that too. That's why he left. He knows he can't comfort you the way you need right now.”

“I don't need comfort,” Dean argued, knowing how pathetic that sounded when he was cuddling his Omega brother at the moment.

Jensen didn't respond but his arms around him tightened and Dean let himself be calmed down by the feel and smell of his brother.

His eyelids were becoming heavier when he mumbled, “I don't know how you do it.”

“Do what?”

“Not breaking under all this crap. You're an Omega, your life is a living hell and here I am, whining like a little child.”

He felt Jensen's chuckle vibrating through his body.

“My life isn't hell 'cause I know I have my big brother who'll protect me.”

Dean was too tired to figure out whether Jensen was joking or not. Just seconds later, sleep overcame him fully.

 

-0-

 

When Castiel cleaned the table after breakfast, he was glad that Lucifer's fiancée Lilith called. There was nothing more uncomfortable than washing dishes with his Alpha brother leaning at the counter and watching him with his predator gaze. Though all the Novak children worked at their family company, usually everyone chose a different time to start work there and whenever Castiel or Misha was due to clean the house and would therefore come later, Lucifer found a reason to stay behind as well. At first Castiel had thought he did that because they were Omegas, but sometimes even their Beta sister Anna was a victim of his boredom too. So it was probably safe to assume that Lucifer just liked to be an ass, as Misha had so rightly pointed out. 

Today he was lucky though. Lilith had called early and demanded that Lucifer should show up at her house. Since Lilith still lived in her father's territory which was more than two hours away, it was highly possible that Lucifer would stay for at least one night. 

Two days of peace. It was strange how comfortable Castiel was in his family's home whenever Lucifer wasn't around. He generally got along very well with his father Chuck, Anna and Gabriel and he was very close with Misha. His relationship with Michael was a more complicated matter. He was a strong and proud leader with his heart in the right place, but it was like Lucifer was tainting him. Only when their arrogant brother wasn't around – which happened much too seldom – was Michael a real brother to them. Just like right now.

Michael had an important business meeting today with Castiel aiding him and was visibly nervous. Everyone else had left already, but Michael was still sitting at the table and silently staring into his coffee mug.

„Don't you want to drive to work and prepare yourself for the meeting? “ Castiel asked gently.

Michael looked up to him. „I'd like to wait for you. You have to be there after all too.“

„I will be,” Castiel affirmed while drying the last plate with a dishtowel. „But it's not like I need to do much, that's your job.”

Michael's eyes narrowed in obvious disapproval but he didn't argue. Most people didn't like it whenever Omegas engaged themselves actively in job matters especially not when his partner was an Alpha like Michael. Both brothers knew that as well. Castiel's only real job apart from making notes and judging their partners' trustworthiness, was to subtly influence the mood in the room to their own advantage. He was more tentative about this than most Omegas including Misha and he suspected that was the reason why he was chosen for this task much more often.

When Castiel had put the dishes away, Michael was already waiting for him in the door and they drove to the Novak lawyer in complete silence. Only when they entered the massive building did Michael turn to his younger brother. „There's one thing I haven't told you yet. You remember Gabriel had a job interview with someone last week?“ Castiel nodded. „Well, we thought it would be a good idea for him to come and take a look at this.“ There was nothing speaking against this suggestion, Castiel knew that, but he tensed nevertheless. He hadn't forgotten who they were talking about. „Gabriel said it was a brother of the Alpha whom Misha is going to marry.” Michael was taken aback for an instance. „Ah, so you know already? You don't have to worry, he seems to be nice.” Castiel didn't look convinced so he added, „He's a Beta if it helps.”

It did. Alphas frightened Castiel and the thought that someday he would probably have to marry one just like Misha had to do now, scared him more than he could tell. Most Betas were much easier to get along with. He hoped Dean's brother would be one of them. Within the next ten minutes he was calming down again and he managed not to let his earlier distress show when there was a knock on the door to the conference room.

“Come in,” Michael said without looking up from his laptop.

The man who entered was tall for a Beta. That was the first thing Castiel noticed about him. Contrary to his intimidating height and well-built physic his face was rather boyish though, a nervous smile plastered on his face while his eyes darted between Michael and Castiel, unsure whom to address. Castiel liked him immediately. He rounded the table and held out his hand to the taller man. “Hi, my name is Castiel Novak. Pleasure to meet you, Sam.”

The Beta took Castiel's hand and shook it with a relieved sigh. “It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Novak.”

“Please call me Castiel. I hate being addressed formally by colleagues.”

Sam nodded before turning to Castiel's brother and extending his hand. “So you must be Michael Novak.”

Michael approached him with a reassuring smile. “Yes, I am. Nice to finally meet you, Sam Winchester. I was curious who had my little brother Gabriel so smitten.” He smirked and Sam blushed a dark pink.

Deciding to pick the poor boy out of his misery, Castiel stepped in. “Ignore him, Sam. When he's having a good day Michael likes to tease almost as much as Gabriel.”

Thankfully there was another knock on the door which forced Michael to back off. His assistant Zachariah stuck his head in. “Michael, your visitor is here.”

Instantly Michael was all business again. “Send him in.”

Gordon Walker was a grim-looking Alpha who radiated off arrogance and judging by the way Sam's eyes narrowed the slightest bit, Castiel wasn't the only one feeling like this. Gordon's gaze passed Sam and lingered for a moment on Castiel, his nostrils widening at the smell of Omega. Castiel was used to it and his face remained impassive despite the quickening of his heartbeat. It was impolite for an Omega to hold the look of an Alpha so he hunched his shoulders and dropped his gaze to the floor. He was glad when he felt Gordon's eyes shift to the only one superior to him in this room.

“You're Michael Novak.”

“Correct. Those are my colleagues Sam Winchester and Castiel Novak. I hope you don't mind them having a look at this and taking notes. They both don't have much experience with this yet.”

Gordon shrugged nonchalantly. “It's fine with me.”

What followed was another three hours of boring discussions about business, at least boring for Castiel. He was only following the conversation for Michael's sake, occasionally nudging Gordon's aura into the direction Michael wanted it to be. Sam though was constantly taking notes and seemed to be genuinely interested. Not surprising since he had chosen this kind of job for himself, something Castiel couldn't say for himself.

When Michael finally led Gordon out of the door, it was almost noon.

Sam and Castiel were picking up their stuff when the Beta ended their comfortable silence. “Can I ask you something, Castiel?” The smaller man turned towards him and nodded. “You didn't seem very interested in this kind of stuff.”

Damn, either Sam was good at reading people or Castiel had been too obvious today. “That wasn't a question.”

Sam only raised his brows expectantly until Castiel elaborated. “It's not exactly my dream job. But Michael figured two Omegas are good for business, so Misha and I started working here.”

Sam smiled pitifully. “My father wasn't exactly happy when I told him I would like to go to law school. He thought I was wasting my time and his money. If it hadn't been for Dean and Jensen I'd probably be repairing cars as well.”

That caught Castiel's attention. “Why would they do that?”

Sam seemed perplexed by the question. “They're my brothers.”

“But Jensen is an Omega, right? So why would he disobey the will of the pack leader?”

Now Sam was even more confused. “That's not how it works. Jensen and Dean wanted me to become what I dreamed of. Since our father was too stubborn to actually listen to me, they decided to finance me themselves.”

For a second Castiel stared at him in wonder. “So they didn't get in trouble?”

“Well, our father was pissed of course. When he found out about it, he had an ugly fight with Dean and they didn't talk for weeks. John came around eventually.”

“Your Alpha brother fought his pack leader for you?” Castiel asked disbelievingly.

“Uh, yes. Though it only took a turn for the worse after John hit Jensen. I've never seen Dean getting that angry before. If Jensen hadn't stopped him, they might have killed themselves.”

“I don't understand. Why would Dean do that for an Omega?”

Sam's brow furrowed even more. “Jensen is our brother. That's reason enough, don't you think?”

Sam seemed to be convinced of his own words, but Castiel found himself wondering what kind of a clan the Winchesters were. 

Sam was halfway out of the door when Castiel voiced the most prominent thought on his mind. “So Dean does respect Jensen's opinion even though he is an Omega?”

Sam stilled and looked back at Castiel. “Why would being an Omega change anything about Dean's love for him?”

And with that he exited the room, leaving Castiel with a lot to wrap his head around.

 

-0-

 

Back at the Winchesters' home Jensen noted how quiet Sam was this evening while Dean and John were debating over the house Dean had bought for Misha and himself.

Jensen leaned to the youngest Winchester. “What's wrong with you? Did something happen at your new work?”

“No, not really. I just met Castiel Novak.”

Jensen refrained from telling him that it was not unusual to see a member of the Novak family at their own company. Sam was probably not in the mood for lame jokes.

“And?”

“He just had strange questions that made me wonder what kind of family he has lived in.”

When they noticed how strangely quiet it was, they realized Dean and John had stopped talking.

John narrowed his eyes as though Sam had just insulted his own family. “From the few meetings I've had with them, I would say they're an honorable clan.”

Sam met his gaze sternly. “And to how many of them have you actually spoken?”

“What kind of a question is that?” John almost shouted.

But before Sam could respond, Dean intervened. “Just answer his question, Dad.”

John's lips turned into a thin line and Jensen could almost taste the tension in the air. “I've talked with their leader Michael and his representative Lucifer.”

The temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees. Dean's voice was much too calm when he finally spoke. “You didn't even talk with Misha?”

“Why would I?” John asked affronted. “You know perfectly well that marriage agreements are made between clan leaders.”

“And if Misha doesn't even want to marry me?”

“Why would he not want to? You're a strong Alpha with a high rank in our pack and Michael was fine with it.”

Judging by the way Dean's face darkened, John had obviously said the wrong thing. “I can't believe what I'm hearing right now!”

Jensen was almost relieved when Dean rose from his chair and was out of the door before anyone could have stopped him. At least the fight was over for now before worse could happen. 

John was staring at the still open door. “What has got into him?”

His utter blindness to the obvious matter forced Jensen to snap back even though he knew better. “He's going to marry someone who will be forced to consent. Dean might do this for the well-being of our clan, but it's not like the Novaks have a noble reason as an excuse like you do.”

He was barely finished when John had lashed out and struck Jensen hard. Sam inhaled sharply and was about to jump forward, but Jensen shook his head warningly. “Don't, Sammy. It's useless to argue with him.” He turned back to his father, ignoring the sting in his left cheek. “You know what? I'm really looking forward to this marriage because then I'll finally be free from you.”

John was so thrown off that he even forgot to comment on Jensen's lack of respect towards him. “What are you talking about?”

“Oh, didn't Dean tell you?” Jensen spat sarcastically. “I'll be moving in with him and Misha.”  
John's eyes widened in shock before the anger was back full force. “No, you won't! I won't allow it!”

Jensen chuckled humorlessly. “I don't care what you think of it. I am my own person.”

John opened his mouth, but suddenly his eyes focused on something behind Jensen. The Omega didn't need to turn around to know who was standing in the doorway. The intimidating scent of furious and wet Alpha would have made his knees buckle if the anger had been directed at him. 

There was a familiar hand grasping his shoulder from behind and a deep vibrating voice speaking to John. “Jensen is coming with me. I don't trust you with his safety.”

“I already promised you I won't sell him or Sam off, so what do you want, Dean?”

“You just showed how little you care about others' wishes. Someday you might deem it necessary for our clan to have two mated Omegas and then you'll remember that you still have an Omega son whose life you could ruin. You have done enough damage already.”

Jensen was pushed up the stairs to his room, leaving a sympathetic Sam and a frowning John behind.

He almost shrieked when he was pushed onto the mattress of his room and Dean was sliding under the covers with him. 

“Dean, we're still dressed.”

But Dean didn't respond and that's when Jensen finally looked at him and saw the glowing red shimmer in his eyes. Dean was barely human right now and after that fight with his superior, Jensen shouldn't be surprised. His Omega aura was probably the only thing rooting Dean to his will right now. It was most likely the reason why they were now sharing a bed in the first place. 

He carefully reached out a hand to touch Dean's jawline and jumped when the burning red gaze of the Alpha settled on him. It took every ounce of his willpower to remain where he was when all his instincts were screaming at him to duck his head and obey whatever Dean was going to ask of him.

“Are you mad at me?” Dean asked tentatively.

“No. Actually I'm proud of you for standing up to Dad like that.”

He must have said the right thing because Dean closed his eyes and a weight seemed to lift off his shoulders. “I'm glad you'll be coming with me. You'll be much better at comforting Misha.”

“He won't need to be comforted, at least not because of you. You're ten times the man Dad is.”

Dean snorted. “His family is forcing him to marry me. He is going to hate me.”

“I doubt that. He knows that you don't have a choice either. You're both in the same boat. I'm not saying it's going to be easy, but with your determination you'll both come around eventually.”

Dean smirked fondly. “Your never ending faith in me never ceases to amaze me, little brother.”

“You have never given me any reason to doubt you,” Jensen replied affectionately. “Now sleep.”

Dean's grin broadened, but he obeyed without another word.

Both of them were asleep even before the door opened slightly and their father was watching them with a sad smile.


	2. Chapter 2

On the following Sunday morning, the first thing Misha noticed when he opened his eyes, was the rising sun outside. And he had hoped heaven wouldn’t be happy about this day either. Groaning he pushed himself up and dragged his feet to the bathroom. The house was still quiet, so everybody else was probably asleep.

Twenty minutes later Misha was showered and dressed in a pair of light blue jeans and a black button-down which brought his eyes out according to Anna. Misha had refrained from telling her that even his best clothes wouldn’t change anything if he wasn’t Dean’s type. He didn’t want to ruin her excitement just because he dreaded this day.

He walked down the stairs when he picked up on a faint smell of Lucifer and he noticed that his jacket was back at the wardrobe. So he must have returned from Lilith during the night.

“This day really can’t get any worse,” he muttered to himself before leaning against the counter of the kitchen. He had a feeling he was about to be proven wrong considering he would meet Dean in a few hours.

He heard footsteps on the porch just before a key turned and the front door opened. He recognized the Alpha scent immediately and relaxed when Michael took off his coat.

“Morning, Misha. Out of bed already?”

“I couldn’t sleep any longer thanks to the damn sun.”

Michael chuckled and pushed the button on the coffee machine. “What’s up with you? You always liked the sun.”

Misha didn’t answer him. He was not in the position to complain and he didn’t want to anger the Alpha by doing so.

Michael eyed him from the side and his face softened. “Look, Misha, I can’t say, I’m really happy about this marriage either.”

Misha turned to stare out of the window. “Then why are you letting it happen?”

“You’re an Omega and you need to marry sooner rather than later. And the Winchester’s are a good match for us. Their territory is large and barely a two-hour drive away from ours. That’s important if we ever need their help and not to forget, they are consisting of nine members. That means nine additional warriors for us.”

Of course. Gaining more power was more important than anything else, how could Misha have forgotten? He bit his tongue to stay quiet, but Michael seemed to mistake the action.

“Don’t worry. They might be under John’s command, but with the right push from their new Omega anchor, they will do anything to help us.”

“I’m not going to go behind Dean’s back. If he gets wind of it, he’ll rip me to shreds.”

Michael took his cup of coffee and sat down on the table with that arrogant smile he had mastered within the last years. “I doubt that. But don’t worry, I don’t want you to do anything like that. If you play this game right, he’ll be eating out of your hand by the time we need him.”

Misha didn’t like where this conversation was heading. “What are you talking about?”

Michael carefully set the cup onto the table before standing up, his eyes fixing Misha as though he was a prey.

“It’s very simple actually. I want you to make Dean happy.”

Misha opened his mouth, but Michael shook his head, indicating he wasn’t finished. He took a step closer to the Omega. “No, listen to me very carefully, because I won’t repeat myself.”

Another step closer.

“Whenever Dean wants to fuck you, you will let it happen.”

Misha’s guts turned to ice and his eyes widened.

Another step closer.

“When Dean wants you to bear his children and impregnate you over and over and over again, you will let it happen.”

Misha was trembling in fear with Michael directly in front of him and when the Alpha leaned forward, he felt the sink digging into his spine and preventing him from fleeing.

“If Dean wants you to take the knot of every member in his clan like the good little slut you are and let the others watch, you will let it happen.”

There was a ringing in Misha’s head while he tried to shove the horrible images away. Dean wasn’t that kind of an Alpha, was he?

As though Michael could read his mind he smirked amusedly. “And don’t think for one second, none of these things are going to happen just because their pack needs an Omega. You’re disposable and both of our clans each have another Omega to make it work.”

“No!” Misha whispered when he imagined innocent Castiel having to do these things to please his Alpha. “Please, Michael, I’m begging you, you can’t do that!”

There was a victorious edge to Michael’s grin when he backed off slightly. “Then you better do anything in your power to make this work. As long as you make Dean happy, Castiel will be safe.”

And with that Michael turned around to get back into his room, taking the cup of coffee from the table with him.

The moment Misha was alone again, he slid down to the floor and allowed the tears in his eyes to fall. 

That was how Anna and Castiel found him ten minutes later. Anna rushed to his side and pulled him up. “Misha, what’s happened?”

He simply shook his head, knowing he couldn’t tell her. He couldn’t tell anybody.

He felt Castiel’s hand at his arm and those bright eyes boring into him. “Is this about your meeting with Dean?”

The mention of that name, forced a new tremor down his spine which Castiel took as a yes. His grip tightened and he pulled Misha towards him. “I’m sorry, Misha. I wish I could make it better.”

“You are,” Misha rasped quietly. “As long as you’re alright, I’m going to be okay.”

Castiel hugged him, rubbing soothing circles on his brother’s back when his eyes flickered up to meet Anna’s gaze. She looked pitiful, but there was nothing either of them could do about it.

 

-0-

 

Even with his favorite Metallica tape blasting through the speakers of the Impala, Dean couldn’t relax. John, who was currently occupying the passenger seat, had not spoken a word to him since they had left Sam and Jensen almost two hours ago. Though the older man seemed as indifferent as ever, the tightness in his shoulder and the change in his scent betrayed him.

They had just reached their destination – a large white mansion in an ordinary garden full of neatly cut hedges and antique statues. Dean felt oddly uncomfortable and it only increased when he turned off the engine and there was no more Metallica to which he could sing along.

Both men stared at the house for a little while longer until Dean had found the right words to say. “Dad, I don’t like this one bit, but I promise I’m not going to screw this up.”

John sighed and he looked a bit calmer. “I know you won’t. The fate of our clan rests in your hands and I’m not exaggerating here. That Omega is our only hope and I’m sure you won’t disappoint me.”

He got out of the car and Dean had no choice but to follow him. His father’s words weren’t exactly reassuring, but it didn’t make them any less true.

John and Dean walked up the stairs and over the pompous porch until they reached the front door. Only seconds after John had rung the bell, the door opened and a man around Dean’s height with short dark blonde hair and greyish blue eyes appeared.

“Hello, John.” Dean didn’t like him and he found the Alpha’s penetrating smell repelling, but he kept his face neutral.

“And you must be Dean. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

He extended his hand and Dean shook it, trying to fake a smile.

“Same to you. And you are?”

“It’s Lucifer, I’m Michael’s representative. Come in.”

He stepped aside and the two Winchesters slowly entered the house. The faint smells of various people had mingled and Dean wasn’t able to actually distinguish them. Not surprisingly the house smelled healthy and crowded.

He heard voices and turned towards the scent of a powerful Alpha approaching them. He was a bit shorter than Lucifer, his hair thick and black and his green eyes darting briefly to Dean before he gave John a manly hug. “Welcome back, John. It seems you brought the good weather with you.”

The Alpha turned to Dean and extended his hand like Lucifer had done. “I’m Michael, the leader of the Novak clan. And you’re Dean?”

“Guilty as charged,” Dean replied and took Michael’s hand knowing what was coming next.

He forced himself not to move when Michael pulled them closer and scented Dean’s throat. It was a custom to check whether the partners were mated and since Misha was an Omega, his pack leader had to do it.

Dean heard Michael hum in appreciation before he was released. “You have a very powerful aura, Dean. I’m surprised you haven’t married yet.”

Obviously a little test. Dean wasn’t so dumb to fall into that trap.

“Up to now I didn’t see any reason for it. I wanted to wait until my Father would find somebody suiting for me.”

Michael seemed pleased by the answer and moved for Dean to follow him. “Very well. Allow me to introduce the rest of my family.”

Right on cue several humans appeared from around the corner, excitement surrounding them.

“This is Gabriel, he is two years younger than me and one year younger than Lucifer.”

Contrary to his brothers this man was short, but for a Beta he had a surprisingly strong scent. He had brown hair and golden eyes which practically screamed mischief. Dean liked him immediately.

“This is our sister Anna, another year younger than Gabriel.”

Anna was a cute redhead with gentle hazel eyes and a mild, flowery Beta scent.

“And this is Misha.”

Dean’s eyes settled on the last Novak sibling, the one he was here for. Misha was undoubtedly attractive. He was rather tall for an Omega, only slightly shorter than Dean, had dark brown hair and a well-built body. His face was a bit more rounded and gave his body the Omega typical gentleness. Dean’s eyes dragged up from the full pink lips to unsettling blue eyes. Then he was hit by the Omega’s scent and he loved it immediately. It was lighter than Jensen’s, but just as prominent though Dean was aware of the underlying shade of fear underneath. He belatedly realized that everyone was staring at him and it took him another moment to remember the etiquette. He approached the Omega, hoping his smile would calm Misha a bit and when they were finally face to face he lowered his head into the crook of Misha’s neck to scent him. The sensation was intoxicating. It took him a lot of effort to suppress a groan when his nostrils filled with that delicious scent which he could now place as a mix of watermelon and more strikingly cinnamon. He only sobered when he felt the rapid pulse of the frightened Omega under his cheek. 

He pulled back and smiled apologetically at Misha. “Hello Misha.”

The Omega’s eyes avoided Dean’s and though it was only polite and expected from him, Dean didn't like it. He took Misha’s chin, ignoring the startled jump of him, and lifted it. “Would you please look at me?”

Misha obeyed and Dean enjoyed the way those deep blue eyes took in his features like Dean had done to him before. It made him feel self-conscious, even though as an Alpha he should have felt offended.

There was a cough from the side and Dean almost snarled when he had to break away from Misha. It was Michael who seemed to be pleased by the way this confrontation had turned out. Dean was quick to get his facial expression back under control, but Gabriel smirked knowingly.

Michael pointed to the armchairs. “Let’s sit down and discuss business, shall we?”

Lucifer and John complied with his request while Gabriel, Anna and Misha turned away. Dean didn’t like to exclude his future husband, but this was common and as a guest he couldn’t exactly make demands here.

He sat down next to his father while Michael laid out the official papers. “This is the same marriage treaty we have already discussed with you,” Michael explained with a quick nod to John. “The only thing left to discuss is the marriage date.”

John leaned forward to skim over the pieces of paper. “If you don’t mind, we would like to execute this as soon as possible.”

“That’s fine with us. There will be a Blood Moon in fifteen days and there won’t be another one for almost six months. Why not take that date?”

John nodded. “Two weeks is not much of a time. But if Dean is okay with it, then we can take it.”

Three pairs of eyes turned to him. Dean swallowed his objections – he was going to marry in two weeks already?! – and tried to sound casual. “The Blood Moon it is.”

The rest of the conversation was basically formalities between Michael and John. Lucifer seemed adamant to stay and watch over the conversation like a suspicious hawk whereas Dean excused himself after a while.

He walked into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water when he heard laughter and found the three younger siblings there.

“Hey, Dean-o!” Gabriel exclaimed and slung his arm around Dean’s waist. “So you got bored of this after all?”

Anna’s eyes widened and she pulled at the Beta’s arm nervously. “Stop messing this up.”

“Let him,” Dean soothed her. “It’s nice to know not all of you are as strict as Michael.”

Gabriel chuckled. “Strict isn’t the word I would use. More like having a stick up his ass.”

Dean snorted and felt the mood lighten immediately. Even Misha had a half smile on his face.

Dean was about to say something when he froze. 

That scent…It was ozone, petrichor and a subtle hint of freesia. And Omega. Dean felt dizzy, his vision spinning and the only thing keeping him grounded was Gabriel’s arm around him.

“Glad you’re back,” Anna announced to the newcomer, oblivious of Dean’s inner struggle. Gabriel turned around and Dean managed to do so as well without staggering. For a moment he thought he was looking at Misha again, but he was definitely not.

The stranger had the same physical features except for his hair which was a tousled mess and a shade darker - almost bordering on black. Dean’s eyes met those of the man and for a moment he thought he was falling. Something was snapping inside of him and he could hear his own heartbeat speeding up, an unfamiliar ache forming in his chest. Those eyes were demanding Dean’s utter attention and his brain was at least capable of noting they were a notion darker than Misha’s before shutting down completely. The next moment Dean was standing in front of the man and he could hear the sharp intakes of breath from behind. But to his own surprise he didn’t do what his body wanted to do right now – scenting the man and kissing him senseless. Instead he let himself be trapped by those bright blue eyes that were staring up to him in both fear and fascination. It felt like drowning, but he found he didn’t mind that much. Eventually he remembered to breathe and it did nothing to help his situation. Which led him to the question what exactly his situation was.

He was not aroused, he knew that feeling. He didn’t feel high, he was familiar with drugs too. Yet it was a bit like both of those feelings. It added with a strange sense of happiness and he felt light-headed all over again. What was happening?

A hesitant touch at his hand brought him back to reality and he turned to whoever was holding his hand. It was Misha.

“Dean, this is my younger twin brother Castiel. Castiel, this is Dean Winchester.”

Dean turned back to the other Omega and tried to remember some manners. “It’s nice to meet you, Castiel.”

Castiel nodded, “Dean.”

Jesus Christ, that voice… It was notably deeper than Misha’s and rubbing over Dean’s skin like sandpaper. He was sure Misha could feel the shiver running down his spine.

_Misha_ . Dean forced himself out of his daydream. Misha was standing next to him while Dean was fantasizing about his brother. The thought sobered him instantly. He broke Castiel’s gaze and could practically feel the worry coming from the older Omega. His inner turmoil has obviously not been lost on Misha.

Dean felt like a jerk. He was better than this.

He was almost glad when another new figure appeared. “Here you guys are. John and Michael are finished.” 

The man was older than the other family members with a bit of grey splattered in his beard. His hair was brown otherwise and he had light blue eyes that looked much too young for his age. He was even smaller than Gabriel, only slightly taller than Anna. Dean was mildly surprised when his nose took up on a Beta rather than another Omega. The man smiled brightly at Dean, an excited edge to his voice. “So you’re Dean. I was wondering what kind of man my future son-in-law would be.”

Dean was sure he had misheard the Beta. “Your son-in-law? You don’t want to tell me those are your kids?!”

The man blinked confusedly. “Um, yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”

Dean’s eyes widened comically and he could hear Gabriel chuckling behind him. “There’s no way those are your biological kids, you can’t be older than 45.”

Gabriel and Misha fell into a fit of hysterical laughter while Anna and Castiel smiled as though they were used to people making that assumption.

“Actually I’m 57.”

Dean felt as though he was turned upside down. “You’re kidding, right?”

The Beta patted Dean’s arm patiently. “I’m serious. It’s a family thing though, all the Novaks have an exceptional long lifespan. I guess you also won’t believe me when I tell you that Misha and Castiel are 36 years old.”

Dean turned to look at the twins. “Those two are older than me?”

Both brothers smiled simultaneously.

“Okay, so basically I’m going to marry into a family of old hotties.”

He joined them in their laughter at least until he felt Gabriel pinching his ass which made him squeak like a high school girl. “Hey, what was that for?”

Gabriel shrugged. “Just checking whether you would fit into the family. You passed the test.”

The others giggled again while Dean pouted. “I don’t like being objectified.” His childish sulking only made them laugh even more until Misha had sobered down enough to form words. “I’m sorry, don’t mind Gabriel, he’s always behaving like a little shit. To finish the introduction round this is our father Chuck.”

Dean extended his hand, but to his surprise Chuck pulled him into a hug instead. The Beta smelled of solitude and a tenuous hint of roses.

“Welcome to the family, Dean.”

Just when he had let go, Lucifer appeared in the doorway, a polite smile on his face. “Are you guys coming?”

Without waiting for an answer he turned around and led them back into the living room. 

With the pack leaders and Lucifer in the same room, the playful mood from earlier vanished instantly, though it was far from tense. The sun had set long ago when Michael announced it was time for bed.

“John, we've prepared the guest room in our left wing, right next to Chuck's. Come, I'll show you around.”

And suddenly Dean was alone with the twins since Anna, Gabriel and Chuck had left without another word.

“So, where will I be sleeping?” Dean asked dumbfounded and eyed the couch. It looked quite comfortable.

As though he had read his mind, Misha answered, “They want you to stay with me.”

Why was he surprised? He was going to marry Misha, of course everyone would assume they would share the bed. And it was just sleeping. 

Misha blinked confusedly. “You don't have to if you don't want to.”

“No, it's alright. It just took me off-guard.” 

The atmosphere was tensed when the three off them ascended the stairs to their rooms and Castiel shot Dean and his brother a nervous glance before disappearing in his own.

Misha opened the door of the next room and when Dean passed him, he could smell the fear of the Omega.

It was one of the smaller rooms in this mansion and looked much more grounded as well. Misha stopped in front of the bed which was easily big enough for two, and stilled for a moment, avoiding Dean’s eyes when he looked up. Even from this distance Dean could hear the rapid heartbeat and the scent of terrified Omega. The thought that  _he_ was the cause for it, made him sick.

“Misha, can I ask something of you?”

Frightened blue eyes met his and it only affirmed Dean’s assumption that he was doing the right thing here.

“Can we try to use these last few days before the marriage to become more familiar with each other? And I’m not talking about getting intimate but about our dreams, wishes, fears.”

Misha’s eyes widened and it reminded Dean of Castiel. “You mean you don’t want to…?”

“Not until we’re married. Look, we didn’t fall in love with each other, we didn’t even have the chance to. But it doesn’t mean we can’t make the best of it. If we want to make this marriage work, I would like to have you as a friend at least.”

Misha breathed a sigh of relief and it calmed Dean’s Alpha instincts immediately. It seemed like he had said something right.

“Thank you, Dean. I would like that very much,” Misha told him with a grateful smile. “But I don’t think Michael and Lucifer will approve.”

“Then we shouldn’t tell them,” Dean responded and grabbed his washcloths before vanishing in the bathroom. He could feel Misha’s curious gaze following him all the way.

He had just begun to brush his teeth when the Omega joined him and they spent the next ten minutes until they were finished in comfortable silence.

When they returned Misha slipped under the sheets and moved to make place for Dean but the latter shook his head.

“No, I’ll sleep here on your couch.”

Misha opened his mouth to protest, but Dean continued, “You’re not comfortable with me yet and I don’t want to mess this up by going too fast. You’ll set the pace.”

With that he arranged the pillow on the couch before flopping down on it. It was silent for a moment before he heard the bed creaking and bare feet tapping over to him. For a moment he wondered if he had been wrong and Misha would insist on sticking to the protocol, but then the Omega stopped right in front of him. Dean’s eyes opened in surprise when he felt a blanket being thrown over him. Misha smiled gently. “You’re going to be cold.”

Then he tripped back to his bed.

Dean could have told him that he had slept out in the open when he had been striving through their territory and was used to much cooler temperatures, but he was sure Misha suspected as much. And Dean wasn’t going to reject the gesture. Before he succumbed to sleep, he reveled in the feeling that they had gone one step into the right direction.

 

-0-

 

It’s still dark outside by the time Castiel admitted to himself that he wouldn’t manage to get any sleep, no matter how hard he tried. He had been awake the whole night, pricking up his ears to get every sound coming from Misha’s room. He wasn’t sure whether the utter silence was a good or bad sign.

When he was done with his morning routine, he decided washing the dishes from the last evening was a good attempt to occupy himself with. Unfortunately the task was much too dull to keep his mind from wandering. Was Misha alright? For an Alpha, Dean possessed a sensitive aura, but it was laced with so much power that Castiel had no idea what to think of him. The more power an Alpha had, the more dangerous he was. Michael and Lucifer were the best examples for that and their siblings had quickly learned that they shouldn’t mess with either of them. But something was different about Dean and it bothered Castiel not to know what exactly it was. Maybe he was compromised by the smell. Yesterday when he had met Dean in the kitchen, he had been blown away by the intoxicating scent of the Alpha, something that reminded him of blown out candles with the stronger, underlying scent of bergamot and wet moss. And those emerald green eyes…

His daydream was interrupted when he heard someone walking down the stairs and his hackles rose when that same scent told him who was going to come around the corner.

“Good morning,” Dean greeted him with a tired smile.

“Hello, Dean.” The moment the Alpha entered the kitchen, Castiel inhaled as subtly as he could manage. 

No, Dean definitely didn’t reek of sex. Castiel exhaled slowly and with the realization that Misha was most likely okay, he allowed himself to admit he liked Dean’s scent.

Dean watched him with a raised eye brow. “I didn’t do anything with your brother if that’s what you were worrying about.”

Castiel blushed at being caught, but Dean didn’t seem offended. Nevertheless he averted his eyes regretfully. “I’m sorry. I don’t have any right to criticize you.”

“Of course you do. You’re Misha’s brother and you’re worried about his well-being. I understand, Cas.”

Momentarily forgetting to keep his eyes down, Castiel looked up to Dean. That had been a strange thing to say for an Alpha and the Omega wasn’t sure whether he had meant it or had been merely testing him. Then he belatedly realized something else.

“Actually my name is Castiel.”

“I know. But it’s such a mouthful, I thought I’d shorten it.” Suddenly Dean seemed to be insecure. “But I’ll call you Castiel if you want me to.”

_Cas_ . He liked the nickname. Besides it was a nice change from ‘Cassie’, that’s for sure. “No, it’s okay. I like it.”

The bright smile he got in response definitely was a sight to behold. They were quiet for the next few minutes, even though Castiel had wanted to object when Dean had started helping him set the table. That was not an Alpha’s task when there was an Omega in the same room with him. But he suspected, Dean wouldn’t have listened to him and done it anyway. 

When they were done and leaning at the counter, Dean turned to him. “So you and Misha are pretty close, hm?”

“You could say that. We’re both Omegas. Maybe it would have turned out differently if one of us wasn’t.”

“I don’t think so,” Dean told him confidently. “My twin brother is an Omega too and I couldn’t imagine my life without him.”

Castiel stared at Dean in amazement. “I knew you had an Omega brother, but I didn’t know that he’s your twin.”

“Yeah, funny coincidence.” Dean chuckled. “After we both had presented, people told us we would drift apart eventually. They were wrong. I think it only bound us closer together.”

“How come?” Castiel asked curiously.

Emerald eyes were meeting his and Castiel felt frozen in place. There was nothing but honesty and affection in them.

“I’ve always seen it as my job to protect my brothers and when Jensen presented as Omega, my protectiveness only grew. But over time I’ve come to acknowledge that he is protecting me even more. He watches out for me and I’m convinced he is the one rooting me. He’s the strongest person I have ever seen. I don’t want to imagine what kind of Alpha I would have turned into without him.”

Dean turned to look at the carpet as though he was actually imagining it.

Castiel continued to stare at him and almost missed the next words. “I almost raped him the night we both presented.” His voice was thick and he sounded like a little boy confessing to his parent.

Castiel was surprised to hear they had discovered their rank simultaneously. He had presented as an Omega long before Misha, but he still remembered how it had felt.

“It’s not your fault. You can never be prepared for the first time instincts take over. It was unfortunate that it happened to both of you at the same time.”

“I know. But it doesn’t change anything. I almost took advantage of him, like one of those asses roaming the streets at night.”

His eyes hardened and Castiel was startled by the wave of self-loathing rolling off of Dean. He swallowed the lump in his throat. “Did Jensen forgive you?”

“He wasn’t even mad. He told me the exact words you just said.” The thought seemed to anger Dean.

“If Jensen can shrug it off, why does it still bother you that much?”

“Because that’s what he always does. Whenever bad things happen to him, he takes it without complaint and never talks about it. I’m afraid that one day he’ll break under all the crap we put on him.”

Not knowing how to respond to that, Castiel did the only thing he could think of. Carefully he reached out and laid his hand over Dean’s. 

The Alpha startled at the touch, but didn’t draw back, his eyes meeting the Omega’s questioningly.

“I’m sure he’s going to be okay,” Castiel assured him. “You said you would protect him and maybe that’s why he is able to take it.”

Dean’s eyes narrowed in confusion, so Castiel added, “Maybe he’s relying on you as much as you do on him. It’s similar to me and Misha. He’s watching over me and I’m having his back. As long as we’ll have each other, we’ll be alright.”

To Castiel’s surprise the wave of self-loathing only intensified and he wondered what he had done wrong. But before he could ask, Dean gently extracted his hand from Castiel’s and stood up, a mask slipping back over his face.

“The sun is rising. I’ll wake the others.”

And he was fleeing so fast, Castiel couldn’t even come up with a response. He found himself wondering if Dean regretted their conversation and the memories it had apparently stirred up.

 

-0-

 

During breakfast Misha couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was off with Dean. It was barely noticeable, but when he laughed, it didn’t reach his eyes. And when no one else was looking at him, he appeared to be brooding.

Misha wondered if Dean was upset about their arrangement despite what he had said last night. John seemed to have noticed it too if his occasional dark glances towards his son were anything to go by.

Suddenly Dean stood up, drawing everyone’s attention to him. “Misha, can I talk to you? Alone.”

Was he going to take back his offer? Misha tried hard to stay calm and nodded. He followed Dean out of the room, both of them ignoring Gabriel calling after them. “Why the privacy, Dean-o? I wouldn’t mind watching.”

That earned him a solid smack over the head by Anna and a disapproving glance by Michael, but the corners of Dean’s lips twitched upwards.

“Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m a bit too old-fashioned for that.”

Misha felt a lot better hearing this from him and he mentally chided himself for doubting Dean as though he had been given any reason to.

Dean led him out of the front door onto the porch. Taking a deep breath he turned back to Misha.

“Misha, that may be your last chance of backing out of this marriage.”

“Backing out?” Misha repeated dumbfounded.

Dean leaned back against the pillar behind him. “Yes. If you don’t want to marry me, I won’t force you despite what my father says.”

Misha was unsure whether he should be grateful for Dean’s consideration or not. “Even if you did that, Michael would just marry me to the next person who would help him gain more power.” It hurt to say the bitter truth aloud and he tried humor instead. “And frankly I doubt the next candidate is going to be such a looker.”

Dean grinned and dropped his eyes, a light blush crawling up his neck. 

Misha found it endearing. “I’m surprised, I’m feeling like that, but I am content with you as a prospect.”

“It’s not a love marriage though,” Dean argued halfheartedly.

Misha shrugged and looked away. “No, it’s not. But I always knew it would be this way. True love only exists in fairy tales. At least for me.”

There was a shadow in front of him and suddenly arms were wrapping around him and he was pulled into a tight embrace. Misha was too confused to react properly and he wondered what he had said to deserve this.

He shivered when he felt Dean whispering against his neck.

“Don’t say that, Misha. You might find love one day if you’ll give it a chance.”

Misha closed his eyes and finally returned the hug when he realized what Dean was doing. It was the first time he was being comforted by an Alpha and knowing Dean was capable of calming him like this only affirmed his decision.

“I’m an Omega. I don’t have many options when it comes to my future. Either I’ll marry according to Michael’s wishes or I run away and end up as a slut on the streets.” He swallowed. “And I really like you, Dean. You are the first good thing to happen to me in a very long time. Like you said last night, we can make this work.”

Dean’s arms tightened even more. “Fine. I hope I won’t disappoint you.”

They stayed like that for a few more seconds before letting go. The brooding look was back in Dean’s eyes and this time Misha dared to ask him about it.

“There has been something on your mind for the whole morning.”

Dean seemed to choose his words carefully. “You’ll be worried about Castiel, won’t you?”

Those eyes were boring into him and Misha felt exposed, but he wanted to be honest with the Alpha. “Of course I will. I’m afraid what will happen to him when I’m gone.”

He desperately hoped Dean would let it be. They were touching a topic he wasn’t comfortable telling anyone, even Castiel. 

Luckily Dean made the wrong assumption. “You’re afraid Michael will marry him off as well.”

Misha focused on Dean’s chest. He was too afraid Dean might see the truth in his eyes if he looked up.

“I promised myself to always protect him. And in a few days I will leave him.”

He could feel Dean’s eyes lingering on him, but none of them said another word.

Eventually Anna poked her head out of the door. “Are you guys finished? John wants to return home.”

“We're coming.” Dean told her and the two men followed her back inside.

The others were already waiting for them in the hallway. 

Michael smiled expectantly at Dean. “So, this is the moment of truth. Now it's up to you, Dean. Are you satisfied with Misha as your Omega?”

In this moment Dean would have liked to tell Michael many things. That he didn't like the way Michael had phrased the question. That he didn't love Misha. That Misha deserved someone who did. That he himself wanted to wait for the right one. 

But he said nothing because this wasn't his choice, not really. He was a puppet in the sick game of life. He glanced at Misha, wanting to have his affirmation in this. The Omega's face was stoic, no objections, nothing. Only dull eyes that had long ago accepted their fate.

_Michael would just marry me to the next person who would help him gain more power._

Misha's words made it easier for Dean. He might not love Misha, but he wanted to protect the Omega. That feeling would have to do for now.

He turned back to Michael. “The answer is yes. I would like to marry Misha.”

A collective sigh of relief went through the Novaks' house. 

Michael's smile had an unmistakable hint of victory around the edges. “Great, then I'll - “

“But,” Dean interrupted him calmly, “Only under one condition.”

The atmosphere tipped immediately, tension arising in the air.

“What would that be?” Michael asked, his voice still polite but a sharp edge to his eyes.

Dean didn't need to look to know his father was furious with him, he could feel it in the warning vibes he was giving off. But what he felt more consciously were two pairs of blue eyes. His inner Alpha was urging him to protect the two Omegas and Dean gave in.

“I will marry Misha if Castiel is coming with him.”

The temperature in the room dropped to the freezing point. There was a shocked silence until Michael responded, his voice as sharp as a blade. “I beg your pardon?”

John stepped between the two younger men, grabbing Dean's arm so hard that it would surely leave bruises.

“He doesn't mean it, Michael. I might have to -”

“Don't Dad,” Dean all but commanded, his voice still perfectly calm. “This is between Michael and me.”

He turned to his father, fearing a fight coming up. But John was silent, a calculating look on his face. He was angry, Dean could see it underneath the facade, but for now the older Alpha let it slide. He let go of his son's arm who looked back to Michael.

“You heard me right, Michael.”

The Novak leader was trembling in rage as though he was barely containing himself. “And why would you want that?”

“I don't want to take Misha away from him. I have a twin brother too and I already dread the day when he will make his own family and leave me. I'm taking Misha away from everyone he loves and into a clan he doesn't know. It will be easier for him if Castiel is coming as well.”

He let his gaze shift to the Omega in question, not sure what to expect. What he saw, was mostly just questions without any judgement. He added, rather for Castiel than Michael, “If he would like, that is.”

Michael growled quietly. “Why would I allow that? The deal was for one Omega, not both.”

Despite his resolution to stay levelheaded, Michael's indifference towards his own brothers tipped him over the edge. He bared his teeth, his stance turning aggressive. “What you call a deal, means marriage to me. And just for your information I can only have one mate at a time.”

This time Michael's growl was audible and Lucifer joined his side, a hateful look directed at Dean.

“So you want to tell me you have only noble interests in mind?”

It took Dean a second to get what direction Michael's thoughts were heading and his inner Alpha was mentally roaring at the insult. His voice dropped to a dangerous low.

“I don't have any sexual intentions if that's what you're concerned about.”

Suddenly he was wondering if the two Omegas were suspecting that as well. He turned towards Castiel and was surprised to find him much closer than just a moment ago. He was standing beside Dean, his wide eyes fixing Dean. The latter felt his Alpha calming down immediately, a fragile peace settling over his mind. There was fear in those dark waters and Dean wanted to take it away. “I won't touch you, I promise.” Castiel didn't show if he believed him. He just continued to stare up to Dean who found himself unable to turn his gaze away. He was trapped in the waves of an upcoming storm, the shore out of reach. Then Castiel blinked and turned away from him, setting Dean free.

The Omega was looking at Michael, but his hand gently gripped Dean's. “I believe him, Michael. I want to go with him.”

Michael wasn't happy about this turn of events, that much was obvious. But before he could say anything, Gabriel stepped forward, his face completely serious for once. “I don't think it's such a bad idea, Michael. Like Dean said, Misha will have someone he knows and it would certainly help to bind our clans closer together. And isn't that what you want, brother?”

The last sentence was said with such a honeysweet voice that it left no doubt that Gabriel wasn't fooled so easily.

Michael didn't say anything for a very long time, but eventually he sighed tiredly. “Fine. But just to make one thing clear, Dean. Castiel is and always will be a Novak. He doesn't have to listen to any of you and if he wants to return, you will let him, am I clear?”

“Crystal.”

“Good. But I think it's time for you to go now.”

John nodded immediately and Dean moved to follow him. 

He couldn't believe Michael had agreed to this.

When he was at the door, he turned back and inclined his head in a manner of goodbye. Then he hugged Misha, scenting his neck again. He was glad at the overjoy that was intensifying the cinnamon. He had apparently done the right thing.

“Thank you, Dean.”

When he pulled back, he smiled and was about to go, when he sensed his Alpha instincts protesting. He halted just in time for Castiel to catch his elbow.

“Dean, wait.”

He turned back, not sure what to expect. Castiel seemed to search for appropriate words, but couldn't find them.

Dean understood nevertheless. Before he could think about it, he leaned forward and scented Castiel's neck like he had done to Misha. 

Castiel jerked in surprise and Dean could hear the shocked gasps by the other Novaks. 

“You're welcome,” he whispered into the Omegas' neck before regretfully pulling away.

When he jogged towards his Dad waiting in the Impala, he could feel various pairs of eyes boring into his back, each one of them with a different emotion.


	3. Chapter 3

The drive home was one of the most horrible Dean could remember. John was fuming and Dean knew they were due for another fight.

When they finally arrived at home, Sam and Jensen were already waiting for them on the threshold.

“So how did it go?” Sam asked immediately.

“We came to an agreement,” John replied tight-lipped before turning back to Dean and motioning for him to sit down at the table.

Sam and Jensen remained standing, wondering why their father was so angry.

“So, Dean. Care to tell me what the hell you were thinking?“

Dean met his father's gaze.

“I did what I thought was right.”

John erupted into a fit of hysterical laughter. “Exactly. You did what  _you_ thought was right. You almost ruined the whole deal with your behavior today.”

“Dad, stop referring to it as a deal too. It is so much more than that.”

“I don't care what it is to you, it's an important arrangement for our clan to survive. I have no sympathy for your selfishness, boy.”

Dean jumped up from his chair, his blood boiling at the surface again. It was happening much too often these days to be healthy, but he ignored that thought.

“You and Michael are destroying both Misha's and my life and _I'm_ being selfish here?!”

With a snarl John rounded the table, his hands grabbing the collar of Dean's jacket. “There are more lifes at stake here. It isn't easy for me either. I know I'm making my son unhappy with this, but I have no choice. It's you or our clan.”

Dean broke free from John's grasp. “You wouldn't have to make that choice now if you had been a better leader for our pack.”

He knew the blow was coming before he saw it. He had crossed a line no one could without asking for it. He didn't even try to fight it when John's fist connected with his jaw and he hit the floor.

Sam and Jensen jerked into action, both kneeling down next to him and trying to help him up. But Dean shook his head and stayed down. He had just questioned the leadership qualities of his Alpha and if he got up now, it would end bloody.

So he didn't move, his eyes fixed on Sam's stomach in front of him.

John breathed heavily for several seconds, his hands clenched to fists and shaking hard. “You will explain to me why you humiliated me in front of the Novaks.  _Now_ !”

Taking it as permission to stand up, Dean slowly rose from the floor, his eyes still downcast to prevent another fight. Sam and Jensen were still beside him, looking at him questioningly.

“Both Omegas told me they hated the thought of being parted.”

He winced at his own words, but if he wanted John to understand, he needed to talk to him in his own language.

John didn't seem to be pleased though.

“And what they think is all that matters, right? I should have expected that. You always had a soft spot for Omegas.”

Jensen jumped and Dean finally looked up into his father's eyes again. He wouldn't let this be about Jensen again. “I did it because my future husband wanted it. I figured it would be unwise to start into this marriage by making my Omega sad.”

The flicker of a smile crossed John's features and his shoulders dropped their tense stance. “You're right. We need Misha to be happy for now. But next time you do something like that, you talk to me first.”

“Yes, sir.”

Satisfied John disappeared into the living room.

Sam turned to Dean immediately. “What was that about?”

“I told Michael I would marry Misha only if his twin brother Castiel would be coming with us.”

Sam’s brows rose so high they threatened to disappear into his hairline. “Why would you want that?”

“He’s an Omega too and Misha told me he’s worried Castiel will suffer a similar fate if he stays there.”

“Oh,” was all Sam said, but a small smile played around the corners of his mouth.

Dean was irritated when he noticed Jensen looking at him the same way. “What?”

Sam shrugged. “We’re proud of you, Dean. You did the right thing.”

“We’ll see about that.”

He walked back out of the house and was surprised when both followed him. “I’ll go check up on our house. Ellen said the interior is finished and she made sure it’s cozy, but the garden still is a mess. Maybe I can do something about it.”

He knew he was making up excuses to be alone but he didn’t feel ready to face them now.

He had obviously forgotten they were his brothers and are persistent little bitches. They continued to tag along when he entered the woods and the small street began to steepen. Resigning to his fate he let them until they arrived at the  _Roadhouse_ ten minutes later. It was much too early for Ellen to have guests except for their close friend Ash, but she still spent most of her time there.

When she saw them coming, her face lit up instantly. “The Winchester boys. It’s been a while since I’ve seen all three of you together.” Her eyes examined Dean intently. “Are you okay, boy? Bobby told me you had your meeting with that family yesterday.”

“You and Bobby have been talking much lately. Something I should know?”

Ellen didn’t dwell on his weak attempt at deflecting the question. “Stop evading me and tell me how you’re doing.”

Dean sighed. “I’m okay. I wish you would stop mothering me.”

“Well someone obviously needs to since your father is doing such a piss poor job of it.” Sometimes Dean had to wonder how they always ended up here; Ellen talking bad about her pack leader as though it was the most ordinary thing in the world. He hadn’t completely figured out what Ellen’s problem with his dad was and why she was so fond of him and his brothers. Since Mary’s death she was the closest thing to a mother he had ever had.

“I need your help though. Jensen is not the only one moving in with Misha and me.”

Ellen briefly looked at Sam who simply shook his head. “Okay, care to elaborate?”

He was fidgeting nervously.

“I may have insisted to take one of Misha’s brothers with us.”

“You did what?” came a new voice from behind Ellen, just before the familiar smell of strawberry and Beta caught his nose. It was her daughter Jo.

Dean greeted her with a little wink before turning back to Ellen. “Can I explain this tonight when half of the pack is here? I don’t like to tell this story ten times.”

“Sure,” Ellen complied. “Jo, I think we could all use a beer right now.”

Grumbling something about ‘not being a servant’ Jo quickly disappeared into the house while Sam, Dean and Jensen sat down on the stairs next to Ellen. 

“So I thought maybe you could change one of the guest rooms into one for him?”

Ellen nodded while Dean took the beer Jo was offering him before she squeezed herself between Dean and Jensen. “Is he hot?”

“Joanna!” Ellen huffed sternly, but it brightened the mood nevertheless.

Dean took a swig of his beer before answering Jo with a grin.. “Yes, he is. But not exactly your type. He’s an Omega.”

“Oh. Yeah well, then you might be right, I don’t think I could make a relationship with an Omega work.”

While he was taking another sip of his bottle, he could feel Ellen watching him curiously.

“So are you gonna tell me what happened?”

“What do you mean?” Dean returned without looking at her. He knew what she was asking, but he didn’t really want to answer.

“Why is that Omega moving in with you?”

He was glad when Jensen answered for him. “Their family doesn’t seem to respect their Omegas’ wishes. Misha was concerned about leaving his little brother behind, so Dean offered to take him along.”

Dean fixed his eyes on his feet, expecting a rant about what a stupid move that had been, but nothing came. When he finally met Ellen’s gaze a few seconds later, she was smiling at him proudly.

“That was very considerate of you, Dean.”

“Maybe, it’s just… I get him, you know? I’m constantly worried about my brothers as well even though my family isn’t that conservative.”

She just nodded. It was Jo who got to the heart of the matter. “And how did your father react to this?”

“How do you think he did? He was furious that I didn’t inform him of my intentions previously and humiliated him in front of the Novak family.”

Ellen laughed amusedly. “Yes, that’s typical. The honor of our clan is all John seems to care about any more.”

Sam stiffened visibly. “Don’t say that, Ellen. Dad may have screwed up a lot of times, but his heart is in the right place.”

“I never doubted that, Sam. The problem is, he doesn’t listen to his heart anymore.”

It was once again Jensen who answered her. “He lost his mate much too soon. Mom’s death has broken him.”

“I know it’s tragic,” said Ellen with a rough edge to her voice. “But it’s no excuse! My Bill died much too soon as well and for a while I thought my life was in pieces forever. Until I realized how much my daughter needed me. It took years but eventually we made it through. I still miss him, I’ll always do, but I’ve moved on now.” She blinked and the vulnerable expression changed to her usual fierceness. “John had three little sons to raise, we all thought he would come around. But here we are 28 years later and he’s still the fragile shell that would cry at Mary’s grave every time he went to see her. Whenever I look at you boys, I thank God that you turned out to be so wonderful sons nevertheless.”

After her confession it was quiet for a long time, all of them processing her words. A few minutes later Jo turned to Dean. “So about the additional room. What did you have in mind?”

“I thought I would let him pick the details when he’s here. For now just the usual will do.” He gulped down the rest of his beer before getting up. “I’ll get going. Thanks, Ellen.”

He winked at Jo before leaving the Roadhouse.

 

-0-

 

In the hours after John and Dean had left, Castiel was confused. The younger Alpha was far from what he had imagined and he hoped for Misha that he was right.

Misha. He had been sure he wouldn’t see his brother that often anymore and then Dean had asked Castiel to come with them. He still couldn’t believe his luck even though some part of him continued to whisper that there must be another, more selfish reason for it. He was reminded of the too intimate way Dean had bid him goodbye.

Castiel had been too surprised to react, but the proximity of Dean had sent his body into frenzy and the mere memory made a shiver run down his spine. He wasn’t used to being touched, yet Dean’s nose at his throat had been far from unpleasant. But no matter how much he had enjoyed it, it had still been inappropriate with Misha standing right next to him. Even though the latter hadn’t seemed to mind, the rest of the family still did.

When Dean had asked to come with him, he hadn’t hesitated a second. Misha was his brother and coming with him was the perfect opportunity to make sure he was going to be treated well. Castiel only hoped he hadn’t misjudged Dean.

He raised his head when Gabriel walked around the corner, rubbing a towel through his wet chestnut hair.

“So here you are, baby brother.”

Castiel knew they were due for a talk and he abandoned his task of cleaning the kitchen counter to turn his attention to the Beta.

Gabriel eyed him for another moment. “Did you plan this?”

“What? You mean Dean asking me to come with him?”

Gabriel nodded, his face carefully neutral.

“No, Dean never mentioned it before. And Misha didn’t know anything about this as well.”

Gabriel sighed relieved and Castiel realized that he had been afraid Castiel was leaving because he was unhappy here.

“Gabe, I can’t tell you I’m, only going for Misha’s sake. It’s one of my reasons, yes, but I want this for me too.”

Understanding dawned on Gabriel’s voice. “You want to escape Michael and Lucifer.”

“I know I can’t run from them forever. One day they will search for a fitting Alpha for me, but maybe I can buy some time when they don’t see me constantly.”

“You know that’s a shitty plan, right?” Gabriel told him with a smirk.

“Yes, I do. But it’s the best I’ve got.”

He turned away to focus on scrubbing the surface in front of him until Gabriel finally left him alone again. As much as he liked his Beta brother, he wasn’t ready yet to deal with questions whose answer he himself didn’t know.

When he eventually had cleaned the whole kitchen and there was no more task to keep him occupied, it was already afternoon. 

Deciding that a walk might do him some good, he slid on his favorite trench coat and exited the house. The Novak mansion was located in the most luxurious district of the city, one pompous house next to the other. Castiel hated the fake cheerfulness of the people here, how they were trying to top each other with status symbols like cars, gardens and pools. There was only one thing he appreciated about his life here: The privilege of being able to walk down the street alone despite him being an Omega. He knew it was different in most other places and he would require someone strong to protect him, but since the rich people claimed to be superior to those animalistic instincts, physical assaults usually didn’t happen. That didn’t mean they treated Omegas as anything else than garbage, but he couldn’t change his lot.

Still, this might be one of the last times that he would be able to go for a walk on his own. He had no idea what the neighbors of the Winchesters were like or if Dean even approved of him leaving the house. It was not uncommon for Alphas to keep their Omegas in their houses and though as a member of the Novak clan Castiel technically didn’t have to take orders from Dean, he wasn’t going to risk a fight with the head of the house.

“What are you doing?” 

Castiel jumped and turned around to glare at Misha who had apparently followed him. He calmed down though when he saw the soft smile on his brother’s face.

“I’m trying to imagine what our future will be like.”

“I guessed that much. But I have a good feeling about this. Dean seems to be surprisingly considerate for an Alpha.”

Castiel had to agree with him. “Yeah. But how can you be so calm about this? It’s not like we’re just moving to another place. Your whole life is going to change.”

“I’m not calm, not at all. I’m terrified of what’s about to happen. I had dreams of my own and was foolish enough to believe I could make them come true. And soon all I’ll be doing is running a household and raising our kids. I mean it’s not like I don’t want all of that, just…” Misha broke off, tears in his eyes as he tried to collect himself again.

It broke Castiel’s heart to see his brother who was usually a happy ray of sunlight, so fragile and devastated. 

But he understood what Misha was trying to say. “…just with someone you love.”

Misha nodded. “Like I said I was a fool. I just hope I’m not going to pull you down with me as well.”

Castiel took a step closer and gently grabbed his brother’s shoulder. “Listen, Misha, I’m glad Dean asked me to come with you. You always tell me you will always be there for me. Don’t you dare thinking I’m not willing to do the same for you.”

Misha chuckled and opened his arms to pull Castiel into a hug. “Sometimes I wonder what I’d do without you.”

Instead of answering Castiel scented along Misha’s neckline, trying to memorize every little detail of the scent he had grown up with. Soon Dean’s mark would be there, mixing Misha’s scent with that of the Alpha to show their mating.

Castiel had only witnessed it happen once when Lucifer had bitten Lilith just two months ago. Lilith’s Beta scent had never been very appealing to him, but now with Lucifer’s claim he downright hated it.

Castiel couldn’t imagine Misha would smell bad after the claim, it would just be not the same Misha anymore. He tried to savor everything while he was being held by his brother until Misha raised his head towards the sky.

“It’s gonna rain soon. We should get going.”

Castiel complied and by the time they were back at the house, their clothes were soaked.

 

-0-

 

Shortly after Dean had left the Roadhouse, Sam and Jensen parted ways too. While Sam was walking back down the hill into the direction of their house to get ready for work later in the afternoon, Jensen decided to go check out his future home. By foot it was probably not more than twenty minutes further up the road. Up to now, the Roadhouse had been the furthest away from town, just a bit into the forest which was why their pack liked it so much. Apart from regular human guests, it was the main meeting point for clan gatherings. 

But Dean’s new house was even more isolated, a good enough reason why Jensen might love living there. It wasn’t that he disliked people, the solitude of nature just was a more peaceful area especially for Omegas.

When he was halfway there, he got distracted though. It was the faint smell of blood – Omega blood if the light, sweet scent was anything to go by. Jensen let instincts take over to follow the scent which led him into the dense undergrowth. When he reached the small river, he learned where it was coming from. 

There was a trail of fresh blood at the other bank and without hesitation Jensen dived into the water. When he realized that the first drops of rain were starting to fall, he sped up his chin-ups, afraid the rain would wash the scent away.

When he got out at the other side of the river and was able to sniff at the fresh blood, he discerned it was a foreign scent which irritated him. They were clearly in Winchester territory and there were currently no members of other packs staying in town.

Deciding that he could figure this out later, he followed the trail which led to the border of their territory at the other side of the mountain. He contemplated turning back and informing his father, but chances were high they wouldn’t be able to track the scent anymore. Cursing inwardly Jensen entered the Masters’ territory praying no one would notice him. He didn’t want to cause a clan fight just because of an uneasy feeling in his gut.

The scenery began to change slightly, the woods becoming sparser. Being used to the cover of the bushes in their own territory, Jensen began to grow frantic. Here he was exposed with no possibility to hide and the smells of animals and plants were so faint that someone coming by would smell him immediately. On the other hand it made it very easy to follow the blood. The trail had now changed from the occasional specks of blood to large streaks. The were had apparently become so weak he had to drag himself further. Just seconds later Jensen reached a rock under which the body was lying.

It was a young woman, her blonde hair covered in dirt and mud. She was stark naked with ugly bruises covering her whole body and Jensen had to stifle a shocked yelp when he realized she had been abused sexually.

He knelt down next to her and checked her pulse even though the sickening stale scent told him everything he needed to know. She was dead.

Jensen was so caught up in his thoughts that he realized the figure behind him too late.

“What do we have here?” 

He whipped around and came face to face with a female Beta. She was an average height with a nicely curved body and a cute, round face. Her dark brown locks reached a bit beyond her shoulders. Her light brown eyes were examining the scene until they settled on Jensen’s. “Well, it seems I have caught you red-handed.”

“I can explain this,” Jensen told her but she was already raising her voice.

“Girls, look what I’ve found.”

Just seconds later two other woman appeared. Both of them were Betas as well, the taller one had long ginger hair, the other one’s was dark brown and straight.

The Beta who had caught Jensen grinned at him with a sinister expression. “I’m Meg Masters. How about you tell me your name before we take you to our Alpha?”

Jensen swallowed, but there was no other option than telling the truth. She could probably tell from his scent that he belonged to the Winchester clan.

“I’m Jensen Winchester.”

She nodded and approached him carefully. Jensen lowered his body in a submissive half crouch to be smaller than her. He hated behaving like a weak little Omega, but he had just been caught in a foreign territory with his hands on an abused corps. Cockiness wouldn’t help him much here.

He forced himself to stay in place when Meg sniffed him and was thankful that she didn’t touch him during the process.

She leaned back on her heels and narrowed her eyes in confusion. “He smells clean. No traces of sex, violence or anything like it.”

The ginger woman snorted. “He’s soaked. Maybe the water washed off the scent. And the girl’s bruises from the sexual assault look a few days old, so he had plenty of time to get the smell off.”

Jensen met her eyes. “I didn’t harm her.”

She glared at him venomously. “Shut your face, I didn’t give you permission to speak.”

Jensen bit his lip to refrain from arguing back. 

Meg sighed annoyed. “Bela, stop behaving like an Alpha bitch. Nothing here makes any sense and I would like to hear the Omega’s side of the story. We can choose afterwards whether to believe him or not.”

Bela wasn’t pleased but she obeyed, so Meg seemed to be the superior here. She crossed her arms and looked at him expectantly. “So, Jensen, tell us what happened.”

Jensen straightened his body again. “I was walking through our territory when I picked up on a trace of Omega blood. I thought someone was hurt and needed help, so I tracked it up to your territory. I know it was unwise of me to enter without your permission, but it had started to rain and I was afraid I’d lose the smell. When I found her here, she was already dead.”

Meg didn’t show whether she believed him or not but knelt down to inspect the body more closely. “She doesn’t belong to our pack, but you know that already. I can’t figure out any familiar clan, so she’s either a loner or coming from far away.”

Jensen knelt down next to Meg, but he couldn’t recognize anything familiar either. “You’re right. But lone wolfs are usually Alphas, so I think we can rule out that possibility.”

Meg hummed in agreement. “Well she was coming from your woods so maybe you can track it back and find out from which neighboring clan she came from. Someone might know her.”

Jensen raised his head to look up to the rain clouds. “I doubt that, but I can try. I’m very good with smells, so we might be lucky.”

Bela coughed from the side, her eyes burning with hatred. “Meg, he invaded our lands and now you’re plotting with him? Without even telling our Alpha? Are you out of your mind?”

“Crowley isn’t even in the country for two more weeks. If it’s any consolation, I plan on telling Azazel. But we’re running out of time here, so that has to wait.”

She turned back to Jensen, her eyes almost gentle. “You should go now before the trace is gone completely. We’ll take care of the body.”

“What about me trespassing?” Jensen asked abashed.

Meg side eyed Bela and the other girl for a moment. “We won’t tell anyone else of your involvement. But if you ever cross our borders without permission again, I’ll make you suffer.”

Jensen nodded relieved and took another deep breath to memorize the dead girl’s smell then he was running back the direction he had come from. Time wasn’t on his side though. It was becoming increasingly harder to follow the scent and Jensen was glad he had an exceptionally well-marked sense of smell. It took him almost two hours to get from one side of their land to the other and by the time he reached the opposite border to the Shurley clan, he was panting hard from all the running, his body was covered in sweat and the sun was standing low on the sky. The blood smell was almost gone now and Jensen had allowed his wolf side to take over and was following instinct. So he growled when he felt something vibrating in his pocket. He pulled out his cellphone where Dean’s name had appeared on the display.

Jensen tried to get his mind together and leaned against the nearest tree trunk. He breathed deeply for several minutes and tried carefully not to think about the dead Omega whose abuser his wolf wanted to tear apart. When he had calmed down enough and forced his animalistic side under his reigns again, he dialed Dean’s number.

“ _Jensen, are you okay?”_

“I’m fine.” Jensen tried to calm him. “Something came up and I’ve been wandering through our woods since. I’m sorry for worrying you like that. My wolf didn’t deem it necessary to call you.”

“ _You let your wolf take over? For how long?”_ Dean sounded shocked and Jensen couldn’t blame him. Giving in to his wolf left scars on the human side and usually only Alphas could let it happen for more than half an hour without any side effects.

“Two hours top.”

Dean let out a relieved breath.  _“That’s okay I guess. You’re on your way back right?”_

“I can’t, not yet. Listen, I’ll tell you about this when I come back, but you need to trust me on this.”

“ _Jensen, don’t do that to me. Can’t you just wait for me and I’ll come with you?”_

“I’m sorry, but we don’t have time for that.” Jensen told him with a quick look at the settling sun. “But you could do me a favor. Call Raphael Shurley and tell him your Omega is gonna enter his territory. Maybe his patrol can pick me up at the big steep face?”

“ _You’re where?! Jensen, I swear to God if you don’t tell me right now what the hell is going on, I”_

“Dean, please,” Jensen begged. His legs were trembling at the Alpha’s angered voice, the urge to obey so overwhelming he could feel his wolf at the surface again.

It must have shown in his voice, because suddenly Dean’s voice was a lot calmer _. “Okay, I’ll call Raphael. Take care of yourself, Jay.”_

“I will,” he promised before hanging up and entering the large territory of the Shurleys.

 

-0-

 

The moment Dean had ended his call with the Shurley’s Alpha Raphael, he began pacing the living room. 

Sam was eyeing him carefully from the couch. “Dean, what are we gonna tell Dad? If he gets wind of Jensen being with the Shurleys, this will get ugly.”

Dean massaged his head with this thumbs to calm down his Alpha side which was trashing violently and trying to break free, the thought of an Omega in the presence of several alien wolves too distressing to stay down.

“I know, Sammy. But Jensen is even more considerate than you, so we have to trust him. He wouldn’t do this without a damn good reason. All we need is a bit of time.”

Sam looked up at the clock. “We’ve got a bit more than an hour until you need to make your grand announcement at the Roadhouse. We can make up an excuse for Jensen missing it, but after that…”

Dean swallowed.

“Then let’s hope Jensen is back before we return.”

Their conversation was effectively ended by their father entering their house.

“I hope I’m not late?”

Sam faked a smile. “No, you’re right on cue. We just wanted to leave. Are you coming with us?”  
“Of course. I don’t want to miss Dean’s announcement.” John took a look around. “Where’s Jensen? Did he go ahead already?”

Dean put on his favorite leather jacket and did his best to sound nonchalant. “No, he’s up at my house. Ellen said she doesn’t have time to prepare a room for Castiel. And you know I suck at this stuff, so Jensen volunteered instead.”

That seemed to satisfy John and Dean could see Sam relaxing before they followed their father back outside.

Since it was surprisingly warm for spring they decided to walk rather than drive. 

John seemed almost cheerful for the first time in weeks and was therefore oblivious to the nervous glances the two brothers were throwing each other.

When they entered the roadhouse, the rest of the pack was already there:

Ellen and Jo were serving drinks like always while a slightly drunk Ash had challenged Benny to a billiard match. Bobby had mingled with the four humans of their clan, the police officers Donna and Jody, and Dean’s friends Charlie and Garth.

Upon seeing him Charlie lit up, her eyes brightening as she waved him over. Dean was happy to oblige and gave the girl he had come to treat as his little sister a tight hug.

“Finally, Dean. I thought you would chicken out after all.”

“Nah, why would I do that?” asked Dean before playfully ruffling her red hair. “I like the shorter haircut, it suits you.”

“Thanks. I wanted something fresh.”

She moved over so he could sit beside her on the corner bench. Dean smiled at Jody and Donna who he hadn’t seen for far too long. “So how are the two of you doing?”

Jody shrugged but smiled gently. “We’re fine. Now that we kicked Doug’s ass.”

“You mean now that _you_ kicked his ass,” Donna corrected her before giving her a sloppy kiss to the cheek.

Donna had married young and it had taken her several years to realize the relationship with that Doug guy was bad for her. Dean didn’t know what exactly had happened – Donna had moved here only after her divorce – but now that she was in a happy relationship with Jody, she was a whole other person and had warmed up to the clan.

Even though John viewed them as merely close friends, the rest of them considered them family along with Garth and Charlie. Even though they were humans and had therefore no such bonds as the one, wolves of the same clan shared, they made an effort to actively take part in the clan’s life. So for Dean they were family as much as everyone else.

He watched Sam trying to make Ash sit down, so John, who was leaning at the bar, could start talking. When everyone was settled and the noise had died down, John stepped into the middle of the pub drawing everyone’s attention to him.

“Okay, so I don’t think I have to tell you why I called you here. You already heard that Dean is going to marry.”

Loud cheering and bawling interrupted him and Dean ducked his head sheepishly.

“Yeah, you can congratulate him when I’m finished. His mate’s name is Misha Novak and he is an Omega.”

Once again heads turned to Dean with a few low whistles. Charlie stared at him agape. “A male Omega?! I thought they are extremely rare?”

“They are,” Dean affirmed.

Garth chuckled. “You’re gonna have one hell of a good time.”

Dean growled low and Garth threw his hand up in a calming manner. “I just meant he’ll pamper you. Not what you think.”

The others broke out in laughter and Dean blushed, making a silent note to put a bit of itching powder over the human’s favorite jacket the next time. Sometimes Garth was worse than a were with his jokes.

He was glad when Jody spoke up to John. “Are we talking about that famous Novak family in Gracefalls?”

“Yes, indeed. When I contacted Michael Novak with my marriage intentions, he was hooked immediately. His only condition was an alliance between our two clans, should the need ever arise.”

Most of the members seemed to approve, but Jo frowned. “So does this mean they’re gonna wander around our territory?”

“No, of course not. They’ll give us a bit of time to accommodate to Misha, but later on it’s possible that we’re going to loosen some of our rules for their pack.”

The excitement waned a bit after that. Letting another clan onto their lands was an uncommon move which some of the more conservative clans might interpret as weakness.

Ellen spoke up with obvious skepticism. “And how is this going to work? Our territory and theirs is divided by the Shurleys’. It’s not like we can just pass through.”

John smiled benevolently. “Well, it’s only going to happen in emergency situations anyway and yes, they will let us through. You know, their leader Raphael is Michael’s uncle.”

Dean stared astounded at his father. And judging by the way most others looked at their Alpha, they hadn’t known this either.

Ellen raised her brows. “I didn’t know that.”

It was Bobby who answered her. “Most didn’t. Michael’s father Chuck and Raphael’s mate Naomi are siblings. Raphael is a strong Alpha so when Naomi married him, both of them were sure they would get the leadership of the Novak clan. But her father appointed Chuck’s mate Rebecca as the leader, claiming Raphael and Naomi were too power-hungry and would ruin their clan. It came to an ugly fight and Naomi left her clan to join Raphael’s. As far as I know, both families are still pissed at each other, but they have begun to warm up.”

“How so?” Dean asked curiously.

“Well, Rebecca’s dead and Chuck didn’t take on the position of clan leader. Raphael has come to respect Michael which isn’t much of a surprise, they have quite similar attitudes. I’m sure if it weren’t for Naomi, Michael and Raphael would have at least tried to form a business partnership in order to advance as the most powerful clans in a radius of 1,000 miles.”

Bobby’s story was followed by impressed murmuring.

Dean decided to fill in the rest of the events and stood up to join his father’s side.

“There’s something else you should know. Misha isn’t the only Novak who’s going to live with us.”

It was quiet again except for Garth. “Did John find somebody for Sam, too?”

A quick look from John silenced him instantly and Dean cleared his throat to continue.

“Misha’s twin brother Castiel is coming with him.”

Benny crossed his arms defiantly. “Is he coming as a bodyguard for Misha? Don’t they trust us?”

“No, I asked Castiel if he would like to come.”

Benny blinked confusedly.

“Why?”

Dean sighed heavily. “Misha was worried about him considering his family doesn’t seem to treat Omegas that friendly. So I invited him to move in with us.”

Ash’s head shot up. “Wait, he’s going to move in with  _you_ ? Man, I didn’t know you were into threesomes.”

That teared it! Ash might be a decent guy overall and he was drunk right now, but Dean had had enough of the sexual harassment. He snarled loudly and the Beta fell to his knees immediately, his head dropping in a display of submission. Dean ignored the shocked gasps from the others. He usually hated using his Alpha power like this, but Ash had crossed a line. He approached the Beta slowly, watching indifferently how his trembling intensified.

“Never insult my mate again!”

Ash whimpered at the low Alpha tone. “I’m sorry, Alpha, I didn’t mean it like that, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.“

Dean didn’t react until Sam took a step forward though keeping a safe distance. “Dean, please stop.”

His wolf huffed, still angry about the way his Omegas had been treated. But Dean knew Sam was right, he was hurting Ash with his Alpha posture. He forced himself to calm and averted his eyes from the Beta.

“It’s okay, Ash, I overreacted.”

Ash exhaled as though he had been holding his breath all that time and he scrambled away from Dean.

To his left Bobby chuckled lightly. “Well, now that we have settled this, you should buy a round. Can’t believe John found somebody who’s willing to put up with you.” He smirked benevolently at Dean and the tension in the room eased.

Soon they were all sitting around him and Sam; laughing and joking and even Ash seemed to be over the incident. Well, he was drunk, so it was possible he wouldn’t even remember this in the morning.

 

-0-

 

The Shurley territory was basically rocks, meadows and towns with a few trees here and there. If Jensen had disliked the lack of hiding abilities the Masters had, it was nothing compared to his anxiety now. He was constantly moving his head from one side to the other even though Dean had most likely already announced his presence. Raphael might be informed, but that didn’t mean the patrol knew already. 

Jensen reached the steep face twenty minutes later. It was one of the few points he recognized from the two times he had been here. He began pacing the ground nervously, his wolf growing impatient because he was losing the last traces of the blood scent. Fortunately it didn’t take more than ten minutes before he heard the rumbling of a vehicle and could see a green jeep driving towards him.

He stilled and watched as the passengers exited it. The first and tallest one was a man in his late 50s with dark skin and a suffocating Alpha stench. Raphael hadn’t changed much since Jensen had last seen him three years ago. The man following him had dark skin as well, but he was bald, bulkier and had a more neutral Beta scent. From what Jensen could recall, it was Raphael’s son Uriel who had once been his second in command. The second Beta was white with dark blond hair and greyish blue eyes though and by the confident way he positioned himself to his Alpha’s right side, it was obvious that this must be Balthazar, the man who had acceded to Uriel’s position.

The latter gave Jensen a look-over. “You know, when Dean Winchester told us that his Omega brother is in our territory, he didn’t say you’d be such a head-turner. I mean here I was whining that my cousin got that sweet ass of Dean’s and now I discover he has an unmated twin?”

Despite his words, Balthazar’s tone was playful and his smell didn’t indicate anything corrupt, so Jensen just smirked. “Well you could try, but I can guarantee you, I’d rip your head off.”

“Snappy,” Balthazar replied unsurprised. “I like it.”

Raphael raised his hand to end the banter and Jensen turned to look at the Alpha’s chest, being careful to respect proper etiquette and avoid his eyes.

“Why did you enter my lands, Omega? You better have a good reason for it.”

“I was following a blood trace which led me to a dead Omega girl. Her body showed signs of abuse and I wanted to find her family to inform them of her daughter’s demise. But I wasn’t familiar with her clan smell, so I tried to walk back the way she had been coming from. I was hoping you might have any idea who she was. Or maybe you have heard from another clan missing an Omega.” 

“No, we didn’t,” Raphael negated. “But we can keep our ears open and call Dean if we hear anything.”

Jensen nodded. “That would be great, thank you. I was hoping you would allow me to try tracking her further.”

He could feel Raphael’s eyes narrowing suspiciously.

“And why should I do that?”

Damn Alphas and their power plays.

“Someone is kidnapping wolves and abusing them. If we don’t track that guy down, it could happen to one of us too.”

Raphael seemed to contemplate that. Balthazar took another step to him. “Come on, Raphael, you know he is right. And he’s alone, he can’t do much harm.”

Raphael considered that for a moment before giving in. “Fine, Omega. But Balthazar is coming with you.”

He motioned for Uriel to follow him back to the jeep while the other Beta stayed with a curious glance at Jensen.

“I’m surprised Dean sent you without some backup. Raphael isn’t exactly famous for having an open mind when it comes to unannounced guests.”

There was no accusation in his voice and Jensen took a tentative step forward. “Dean didn’t send me. I merely called him and told him I would go alone.”

“Well, that’s relieving. I was wondering if your brother had lost his mind or wanted to punish you. Glad to hear I was wrong.”

He stepped to the side and looked expectantly at Jensen. “Are you leading the way? I can barely smell anything off and I don’t know what I should be searching for, so you’ll be faster.”

Jensen nodded thankfully and began to run again, Balthazar following him with a comfortable distance to prevent disturbing him. Jensen’s wolf was urging him to pick up the pace. They had two hours, maybe even less before the foul stench would be gone. Jensen shivered when he imagined how painful those last few hours or days must have been for that poor girl. What had scared her so much that she had been trying to get away so far without asking anyone for help with her severe injuries?

“Omega,” Balthazar called to him and Jensen turned to him questioningly. “We are heading straight to the biggest city in our territory.”

God, not a city! The scent would disappear in those crowded streets. Of course, that was exactly what happened ten minutes later. They had barely entered the city before their noses were irritated by all the fumes and countless humans around them.

Jensen howled in frustration when he realized they would have to give up. Balthazar’s face darkened as well. “I will contact the surrounding clans. One of them must miss an Omega, I’m surprised she even made it this far.” He touched Jensen’s shoulder, ignoring the warning snarl he received. “We’ll find that monster.”

Jensen let his human side take over again and let the Beta lead them back into the forest and into the direction he assumed their home was. Apparently he was allowed to stay the night. They were following an abruptly descending path when suddenly a new flavor filled Jensen’s nose.

It was sweet and spicy, full of happiness and joy. The scent drew Jensen in and he wasn’t sure if it was happening because of the unfinished hunt earlier or maybe because of his wolf who was still on the surface.

He could hear Balthazar calling after him, but he didn’t care.

All he knew was that he had to find the source, had to roll in it, so he could smell it on himself.

Only seconds later he jumped from a rock and collided with the source. Jensen was barely able to register that he landed on top of a man when he buried his nose in that delicious curve between throat and collarbone.

A hint of watermelon with the overwhelming taste of cinnamon. His wolf squealed in delight and Jensen was able to think again. He pulled back and was staring into the most capturing cobalt blue eyes he had ever seen.

The man was still and perhaps in shock, but Jensen could feel a rapid heartbeat underneath his hands and he realized he had just tackled another were without any given reason.

He scrambled backwards immediately. “Oh God, I’m so sorry, I don’t know what came over me.”

The stranger just stared at him with wide eyes, but then a Beta appeared at his side.

“Misha, are you okay?”

Said Misha nodded and got back to his feet though his eyes never left Jensen’s.

“You’re not Dean,” he stated matter-of-factly and then Jensen realized who he was talking to.

“You’re Misha Novak.”

The man nodded once again. The Beta turned towards Jensen in wonder. “You’re Dean’s brother, right? Man, I swear you look exactly like him. I’m Misha’s brother Gabriel by the way.”

He extended his hand and for a moment Jensen wondered if Gabriel would attack him for his assault on Misha, but when he complied, the Beta remained calm. “My name’s Jensen.”

There was rustling of leaves behind him and Balthazar appeared. “Great. Now that we have settled this, could we please get back? If Raphael hears you two were passing through his territory in the dark, he’s gonna rip my head off.”

Gabriel smirked cockily. “You used to be more fun before you got Uriel’s job.”

“You’re just jealous,” Balthazar replied with a teasing smile but allowed him to join his side as they walked.

Which left Jensen trailing a few feet behind with Misha next to him.

He was surprised there was only the barest hint of fear mixing into the latter’s scent.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what just happened with me,” Jensen told him regretfully.

Misha smiled hesitantly and Jensen had to look away. They walked in companionable silence while Jensen tried to ignore his wolf who was barking angrily at him, wanting to come forth again and touch the other Omega.

It irritated Jensen immensely because he usually got along well with his wolf side.

 

-0-

 

Shortly after midnight Sam announced that he would be heading home and Dean grabbed the chance to escape as well, much to the disappointment of his fellow clan members.

He half feared John would come with them – he had no idea if Jensen had returned already and if not they needed a damn good excuse – but their father was in a heated argument with Bobby and Ellen that seemed far from over.

As soon as they had exited, both brothers sighed with relief.

“Thanks for pulling me out there. I thought they would never let me off the hook.”

Sam nodded and they didn’t say another word until they entered their own house. Dean took a deep breath through his nose but like he had feared, Jensen still wasn’t here.

“I’m calling Raphael,” he announced and pulled out his phone, but Sam snatched it out of his hand immediately. “Don’t. Raphael thinks you ordered Jensen to do whatever it is he’s doing. He’ll take it as an insult if you question his hospitality.”

He was right of course. No matter how much it annoyed Dean, he would have to wait until the usual 48 hours were over, before he could ask the other Alpha.

“What do we tell Dad?”

Sam shrugged helplessly. “If we are lucky, he’ll stay at the Roadhouse for the night and won’t come back here until in the afternoon. Maybe Jensen is here by then.”

“When do we ever get lucky?” Dean asked but nevertheless he let it go.

He couldn’t sleep a wink for the rest of the night, more worried about Jensen’s wellbeing than his father’s reaction. But when the sun rose again several hours later, his father still hadn’t returned. Dean’s wolf was itching to go after Jensen, but Sam was right, it was impolite and would bring more trouble than it was worth. He and Sam had just finished eating their scrambled eggs when the telephone rang. Dean was up instantly hoping it was Jensen.

“Yes?”

“Good morning Dean, this is Raphael.” Well, close enough. “Your Omega is finished with his mission, so we’ll escort him to your border. Meet us at the main road.”

Without waiting for an answer Raphael hung up, but Dean could care less. Jensen was okay. That was all that mattered for now. He turned to Sam who had obviously listened in and looked just like Dean felt.

“Are you coming with me?”

“Of course.”

The road Raphael had referred to was the largest in both territories and the only one connecting the two clans. When Sam and Dean arrived there, Raphael was already waiting, his patrol behind him. Dean recognized Balthazar, Uriel and the former’s younger brother Gadreel, a large Beta with short dark brown hair, celadon eyes and a melancholic expression.

Raphael had gripped Jensen’s shoulder tightly in a rather inappropriate display of power and Dean narrowed his eyes disapprovingly, but remained quiet. Jensen had breached the protocols with his sudden appearance, so Dean couldn’t actually argue with Raphael.

Both Alphas met at the border and Raphael shoved Jensen towards Dean. There was something off about Jensen’s scent and it was kind of familiar, but Dean couldn’t really place it.

“Next time I won’t be so nice. And tell John that I expect to talk with the clan leader in the future, not his son.”

Dean growled warningly. “I won’t let you undermine my authority like that. You know my position in this clan, so you should show me some respect.”

Raphael simply arched his brows. “Goodbye, Dean Winchester.”

He turned around and left immediately, his pack members following close behind. Only Gadreel turned back and his eyes settled on Jensen for a moment before meeting Dean’s nervously. “May I?”

Not sure what the Beta was asking exactly, he nodded and Gadreel looked at Jensen again. “You should be careful not to run into your father immediately. You smell of  _him_ .”

Dean furrowed his brow, wondering what the hell Gadreel was talking about. Jensen stiffened but nodded. “Thank you, Gadreel. It was nice meeting you.”

The Beta turned away with a small smile before vanishing in the woods.

Dean turned to his brother worriedly. Had something happened to Jensen? “What was he talking about?”

“It’s nothing,” Jensen said, but he was avoiding Dean’s gaze. “It’s just…I met Misha last night and I accidentally tackled him to the ground.”

Misha had been with the Shurleys’?

“And?” Dean asked confused.

“Nothing ‘and’. Apparently I have his scent on me.”

It was true, now that Dean knew what it was he could smell it as well if he concentrated hard enough. “But that only happens when you get intimate with someone.”

“I know,” Jensen told him and he sounded annoyed. “But I swear I didn’t do anything else than scent at his throat. Maybe my body is more sensitive for things like that, I don’t know.” 

Dean nodded dumbfounded. He was surprised that his wolf was only mildly irritated by another were tainting his future husband’s smell. He wasn’t supposed to be so cool about this, but maybe it was due to the fact that they were talking about Jensen. Maybe his wolf knew the Omega wasn’t even trying to challenge his claim.

Shaking his head, he followed Sam and Jensen back up the mountain where they had been coming from.


	4. Chapter 4

After Jensen had been escorted to the border, Misha felt relieved. The presence of the other Omega had been irritating to say the least. Not only did he have the constant physical reminder of his soon-to-be- husband right in front of him. No, on top of that, he could smell Jensen on himself and it was driving him nuts. Though Jensen had slept in another room last night, Misha hadn’t been able to sleep with the Omega’s scent surrounding him. Maybe he was just nervous because he didn’t know any other Omegas except for his little brother. At least that’s what he liked to tell himself. He didn’t want to analyze how strangely comforted he had felt every time he got dizzy enough to sleep. He wasn’t supposed to fall asleep enjoying another were’s smell. That right was now reserved for Dean. That thought had kept him awake until the others got up in the morning.

The smell had worn off over the hours and Misha prayed it would be gone until he returned to his family. If Michael smelled another were on him, he would probably rip his head off. Gabriel still hadn’t said anything, but Misha could feel the Beta’s eyes on him.

“Gabe, just spit it out.”

He turned to Gabriel who regarded him much too seriously. “I can smell that Omega on you.”

“I know. I didn’t do anything and neither did he.”

Gabriel nodded. “Yeah, that’s not my point anyway. If he had been intimate with you, the smell would be more intense. It’s just a light note and will probably vanish within the next two hours.”

His words calmed Misha immediately. “I hope you’re right. But why are you still looking at me like that?”

“That’s going to be a problem.”

Misha raised his brow until Gabriel continued. “After the marriage you’ll see him on a regular basis and if you always take on his scent as quickly as yesterday, you’ll have some explaining to do.”  
Misha swallowed hard. “I’m not… Dean won’t jump to conclusions.”

“I hope you’re right. I like Dean, but he’s still an Alpha. Let’s just hope his claiming bite will put an end to it.”

Misha froze immediately. A claiming bite usually made sure that two weres’ were attuned to each other and it was indeed possible that it might solve his problem with Jensen. But Gabriel’s words visualized what he was trying hard to shove away: The bite was more than just a show of claim or a permanent mark. It sealed Misha’s hope of ever finding his true mate. Weres mated for a lifetime and as soon as he had that mark on his body, no other were would touch him. A fact that lead to something even more worrying. Because he didn’t even know if Dean intended to mark him like that. And that meant-

“Misha, what’s wrong?”

Gabriel’s eyes had widened and Misha noticed only then that he was trembling.

“Gabe, what if he doesn’t claim me? You know what that means. If he doesn’t, he wants to make sure that others can touch me, he wants his pack to-“

“Misha, stop!” Gabriel ordered and Misha obeyed to the command of his superior. Gabriel gripped his arms firmly. “Listen to me. Dean is a good Alpha, he will take care of you. He’s not going to let someone else abuse you and if he does you tell me, and I’ll rip his guts out.”

Misha shook his head vehemently. “But Michael told me Dean might be like that.”

Gabriel growled. “Michael is a dick. Just think about it for a moment, does Dean seem like that kind of Alpha to you?”

After a moment Misha shook his head again. “No.”

“Good,” Gabriel said. “I know how you feel. You want him to claim you so that no one else will ever touch you again, but also want to remain free to find the one you truly love. You’re my brother and it breaks my heart to see you suffer like this.”

“I know,” Misha replied. “It’s not your fault.”

They fell silent after that, every one of them lost in his own thoughts. 

Misha sighed inwardly. He knew he was overreacting, he couldn’t remember ever meeting an Alpha as sympathetic as Dean, but he was biased. He didn’t know many – just Michael, Lucifer, Raphael and Crowley Masters – but he had thought they were all the same. They were power hungry and insensitive, people he should stay away from or duck his head like a good little Omega. Then he had met Dean and now he wasn’t so sure. His aura had screamed dangerous Alpha, but at the same time there was something else underneath. He had trouble placing it, but if he had to name it, Misha would call it a strange protectiveness. That trait had prevented him from panicking when Dean had asked to take Castiel with them. Misha was used to wanting to protect his little brother. In retrospective it was strange how easily he had accepted the possibility that a foreign Alpha might want to protect his Omega brother too.

“Misha, I can hear you thinking. Please stop worrying, I’m convinced everything will turn out alright.”

Misha sighed. “You’re probably right.”

He forced his thoughts away for the next half-hour until Raphael and his patrol returned.

The Alpha turned to Misha. “Your future brother-in-law has safely returned to his own territory. I guess you’ll be leaving us too.”

Misha nodded. “I only came to tell you that I’ll be leaving the Novak clan permanently. I hope to see you again soon.”

Raphael nodded politely before turning away, his son Uriel following with a short nod to Misha. Since he had never really got along well with Uriel, he didn’t mind. Gadreel and Balthazar were a whole other matter. 

The latter patted Misha’s shoulder. “Take care, cousin. And if you ever need someone to floor your husband’s sweet little ass, you know where to find me.”

Misha laughed before accepting the Beta’s hug.

When he pulled his arms around Gadreel as well, he felt his whisper at his ear. “It’s going to be alright.”

Misha nodded stiffly before letting go and allowing Gabriel to pull at his arm. His big brother turned to Balthazar.

“I hope I’ll have time to visit you for a longer time this summer. Someone needs to loosen you up, Balty.”

Both Betas winked at each other and Misha felt himself smile. Gabriel and Balthazar had been best friends since early childhood and even with all the pack responsibilities and ties, which prevented them from seeing each other frequently, their friendship hadn’t suffered.

For the hour it took Misha and Gabriel to get back into their own lands, they didn’t say much. Misha was thinking about what Jensen had told him last night. The abused girl he had found in the Masters’ territory. It must have been another were because no human could manage to defeat a were in panic. The wolf would have taken over and protected her. But what kind of were would commit such a crime? Maybe a loner? Misha had never met one, but according to the stories he had grown up with, loners eventually went crazy from the lack of contact to others. There was no lone wolf living in a radius of 200 miles, so it was more likely that he was passing through. Which meant it was unlikely they would catch him, but it also meant, that girl was likely the only victim in the nearby territories.

The scent of trees and fresh air changed suddenly when they entered Grace Falls and walked towards their mansion. For now there were other issues he had to face.

 

-0-

 

It was still dark outside when Castiel was awoken by a familiar body sliding under his sheets. He rolled around to face the Omega whose nose began nestling against his chest.

“Misha?” Castiel asked tiredly before he remembered what day it was. _That_ day.

Misha was fully awake and radiating immense distress. 

“I just want to stay here for a few minutes.” Before they would have to face the day. Castiel got it even though Misha hadn’t spoken aloud. So he shuffled closer to Misha and closed his eyes again. They napped for almost another hour, both calmed by each other’s presence before there was a soft knock on the door.

“It’s time to get up, boys.”

Anna’s voice was much too cheerful, but neither of them blamed her. Marriage celebrations between weres happened far too seldom and it was only natural for her to be excited.

So Castiel slowly disentangled himself from Misha who was still pretending to be asleep. His body was too tense for it to be convincing though.

Gabriel, only halfway dressed, entered the room with an amused glance towards the covered mountain that was Misha.

“Burying yourself under those covers won’t help you,” he told his brother with a light chuckle. Misha groaned before finally reappearing from under the blanket and standing up.

“I hate you,” he proclaimed with such a dark glance that Castiel might have believed him if he didn’t know his brother so well. 

Gabriel didn’t fall or it either.

“Your dirty mouth won’t rescue you, you know? Wait, actually it might since your plush lips seem to be perfectly made for sucking-“

The rest of his words were cut off by a pillow being thrown in his face and a sparkling blue gaze directed at him. “Gabe, you’re not helping! Now get out before my marriage is cancelled because of me committing fratricide.”

The laughing Beta vanished as sudden as he had appeared and Castiel was left alone with a very furious Misha. Well, that might be a slight improvement from a Misha wallowing in self-pity.

Castiel didn’t comment when Misha took way too much time with his shower and quietly helped him with his black tie. Misha was now in a black suit as well as a black shirt and even though he looked quite handsome in it, Castiel felt as though it was a bit too dark for a wedding. Well, it was Misha’s choice. Castiel had chosen the same suit, only with a white shirt and a blue and silver striped tie. When they were walking down the stairs, Castiel threw a quick sideward glance towards his brother. Misha’s face was stoic and his scent almost neutral. He almost seemed too collected about this. 

The other Novaks were already waiting in the living room, Anna wearing a dark green summer dress, all the others in classic black suits. Except for Gabriel of course who seemed quite pleased with his purple suit. There was no way to deny that Gabriel just had a stylish though crazy way of attracting attention.

“Well, you’re looking charming, Misha. Though a bit of color would have done some good.”

Misha didn’t even grace that with a reaction and turned to Michael. But before the Alpha could say anything, Chuck caught a hold of Misha’s wrist. “One moment.” 

The Omega turned towards Chuck, who had a wide smile on his lips. “I just wanted to tell you how proud I am. As your father I only wish the best for you and I hope that one day you may forgive me for letting this happen.” 

Castiel could see Misha’s façade crumbling when their father’s eyes welled up with tears of shame. 

Misha pulled Chuck into a tight hug instantly. “No, Dad, there is nothing to forgive.”

They stayed like that for a moment before Chuck let go and raised his hand to show the head of the red rose he had been holding. Without another word he fixed it on the breast pocket of Misha’s suit before stepping back. “Now you’re perfect.”

Misha smiled gently. “Thanks, Dad.”

Michael gave a little cough. “We should get going. It’s still a two hour drive.”

The others nodded and Castiel positioned himself between Misha and Anna in the backseat of the car. Misha’s nerves were strained enough already and Anna’s constant babbling would only make the situation worse.

Misha didn’t speak much during the ride, but Castiel could feel him getting more nervous the closer they came to their destination.

By the time they reached Willowdale, the town in which John Winchester’s house was, Misha’s face was as white as paper. John and Sam were already waiting for them with big smiles on their faces. Castiel gave Sam a tiny nod while John and Michael hugged as though they were old friends.

“I hope you had a pleasant drive here.”

“Yeah, everything went alright. But enough of the formalities, John, we’re all dying to see where the ceremony is going to take place.”

John motioned for the Novaks to follow him and soon they were walking a small path through the woods towards the largest hill of their territory. Misha and Castiel let themselves fall behind a bit to walk alongside Sam. The Beta glanced at Misha sympathetically. “How are you?”

Misha didn’t look at him and his voice was too small. “I’m good. Just a bit nervous.”

Castiel rubbed his brother’s shoulder comfortingly. “You’ve faced worse, Misha. I know you can do this.”

Misha tried to smile but it was closer to a grimace. Suddenly Gabriel appeared at Misha’s other side. “Come on, cheer up! All you have to do is utter a few words and then you can tell Michael to go to hell.”

“You know there’s more to it than a few words,” Misha argued quietly.

Gabriel sighed, but obviously admitting that there was nothing he could do, he shifted his focus to the Winchester.

“So, Sam, what about you?”

Sam frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Anyone you’re interested in?”

“No, I haven’t met the right one yet,” Sam told him with a blush.

“Good to know,” Gabriel replied with a suggestive wink that deepened the red color on Sam’s face.

Castiel felt the need to facepalm himself. Trust Gabriel to be inappropriate even at his brother’s wedding.

Fortunately they had reached the foot of the mountain. It was a beautiful place with the midmorning sun lighting one side in stark contrast to the wall of rock on the other. In the afternoon it would surely cast its shadow over the wedding party, but for now the place was bathing in sunlight. Castiel and Misha were both so busy staring in awe that they jumped when Sam leaned closer.

“Every clan marriage has happened here for as long as we can remember. The rock shields us from the North wind and collects the sunlight, so it’s quite pleasant even in chilly nights. At least that’s what Ellen always tells us. The last marriage in our clan was the one of my parents, so I don’t know if it’s true.”

Both Omegas turned to him immediately. Sam didn’t look sad as much as melancholic and Castiel remembered that Sam had never known his mother.

The three of them remained silent and Castiel took his time admiring the white, baroque pavilion in a sea of multicolored flowers most of which didn’t look winterproof. He didn’t want to imagine the amount of work and dedication somebody had obviously put in replanting the area recently.

Suddenly a blonde Beta girl appeared in front of them. “Oh my god, you two are really hot!” Without waiting for a reaction from the flabbergasted Omegas she continued, “So which one of you is the groom?”

“That would be me,” Misha told her and before Castiel could blink, the girl had grabbed Misha’s arm and was shoving him away from the other guests.

Sam chuckled while Castiel’s eyes followed them. “That was Jo by the way. She couldn’t sleep for three days because she’s so excited for the wedding. She’s usually not that impolite.”

“No, it’s alright.” Castiel assured him. “Anna is the same. I guess I’d be excited too if the circumstances were different.”

Sam didn’t respond and they stayed in awkward silence until a woman wearing a grey trouser suit came into his vision.

“I guess you’re Castiel, right? I’m Ellen and unfortunately the mother of the cheeky girl that kidnapped your brother.”

She winked before giving him a short handshake. “I’m in a bit of hurry, so please don’t ask questions and just come with me, boys?”

Sam and Castiel nodded confused before Ellen led them to the pavilion. John and Michael were standing in front of it, but Castiel’s gaze was captured by the two men inside. Jensen met his gaze and smiled warmly. Even from this distance Castiel could feel the calming vibes he was giving off and he remembered when Dean had told him, he had no idea what he would do without his Omega twin. Now he could witness firsthand, how true it was. Dean was standing right next to Jensen and though his smile was more tense, he was relaxing more and more with every second. Castiel wished he had the same effect on his Alpha Michael, it would surely come in handy some times. Then Dean’s head turned to him and he saw Castiel. For a moment Castiel couldn’t move despite Sam’s questioning words next to him. Then Dean’s face lit up in a small smile and Castiel felt a knot he hadn’t known was there, loosen in his chest. He walked up the stairs and opened his mouth for a proper greeting for the Alpha, but was caught off-guard when Dean’s arms came around him and he was pulled into a tight hug.

“You do know that this is a bit inappropriate, right?” he asked when he had found his voice again.

Dean tensed against his neck. “Do I make you uncomfortable?”

“No,” Castiel lied because there was no way he wanted Dean to stop treating him like he was actually part of his family. “It’s just a breach of etiquette and I don’t want you to get into trouble.”

“Screw etiquette,” Dean responded firmly before eventually pulling back. 

Castiel could only blink for a few times while he tried to figure out how a hug could throw him off-balance this hard. Then he remembered that Dean wasn’t the only one here and he turned to Jensen. The other Omega went in for a hug as well and Castiel wondered if that was a Winchester thing. Jensen’s hug didn’t feel half as confusing as Dean’s though and the touch didn’t linger as long.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Castiel.” His voice was not as deep as Dean’s and it lacked the power of an Alpha. Maybe that’s why Castiel’s wolf didn’t feel the need to sneak at the surface contrary to when Dean was talking to him. There was something about Jensen that made Castiel like him immediately though.

“And you’re Jensen obviously.”

Jensen smiled just when Ellen shooed the two Omegas towards the marriage treaty for their signatures as groomsmen.

 

-0-

 

Jo’s hands painting the traditional symbols of the Winchester clan onto the skin of his bare chest was strangely soothing. At first he had watched her and tried to find some that he recognized from the Novaks but he had soon given up. He had never seen an Omega getting those sigils drawn onto his body, but he knew the customs of course. 

“I need more color,” Jo announced after what felt like hours and disappeared outside.

He had no idea how long he was standing there waiting for Jo to come back and finish her work before the curtain of the small tent moved to the side and Jensen appeared.

“How are-“ He broke off instantly when his gaze fell on Misha. His eyes widened as they raked over Misha’s bare body and Misha felt self-conscious no matter how hard he tried to tell himself that Jensen wasn’t looking at _him_ rather than the symbols. Eventually Jensen’s eyes snapped up to Misha’s. “You’re beautiful.”

Misha blushed at the compliment and ignored the warmth that spread his body. “Thanks.”

Jensen stepped closer and raised his hand hesitantly. “May I?”

Not knowing what he was actually agreeing to, Misha nodded. Jensen’s fingers lightly touched the dried color at his wrist before moving to his inner arms. Misha gasped at how good the soft touch felt. Jensen trailed the lines up towards Misha’s shoulder and then he was standing right in front of Misha, so close that Misha couldn’t see anything else. And when Jensen’s hand dropped to the symbol on his collarbone, Misha made the mistake to inhale. He was hit by Jensen’s familiar scent, vanilla with a hint of strawberry and something earthy like fir needles underneath. 

A small groan escaped his throat. Jensen’s hand stilled and Misha met his eyes, taken aback by how far the pupils had dilated, only a slim ring of emerald remaining. The vanilla was becoming more prominent and Misha leaned forward, wanting to lick that taste off Jensen’s body. When his tongue touched the delicate skin of Jensen’s throat, the Omega let out a yelp of surprise, his arms coming around Misha’s body to draw him in closer. Misha nibbled lightly at Jensen’s throat, his brain having trouble to process the delicious taste, and Jensen’s scent changed lightly, arousal mixing in. The new smell finally made the alarm bells in Misha’s head ring and he remembered where he was. Misha jumped back and out of the other Omega’s arms as though he had been burnt.

“Oh my God, I’m sorry,” he whispered in horror. 

Jensen was panting hard, but when he opened his eyes, there was no accusation directed at him. “No, I’m the one who needs to apologize. My behavior was totally out of line.”

Misha nodded, trying to reign in his wolf who was trying to crawl back into the comfort of Jensen’s arms. He was marrying Jensen’s brother today, goddammit! Misha was sure the situation couldn’t get any more complicated until Jo reappeared. “Sorry, it took me so long. Mom didn’t-“

She broke off when she saw Jensen. “Oh, you’re still here?” Her eyes darted questioningly between the two Omegas and Misha was sure it would only take seconds before she would come to the right conclusion, but thankfully Jensen had found his voice again. “I just needed to give him a message from Castiel.”

Then he almost ran out of the door and Misha could barely keep his wolf from whining low at the loss. Oblivious to his inner struggle Jo simply shrugged. “And here I thought he was the only one with a clear head. Anyway I’m almost finished with you. Now get out of your pants.”

She grinned at her own words and Misha relaxed immediately. He couldn’t help making a bit of a show when he shrugged out of the rest of his clothes and let Jo paint his thighs as well. Opposed to previously she was now talking nonstop and Misha was glad about the distraction.

When she was finished a bit later and the colors had dried enough for him to put on his clothes again, the worry came back though. Because he could smell Jensen on himself again and in a few minutes he would be standing next to his future husband. All he could hope for was that Dean wouldn’t notice it. Yes, he was hoping for a miracle. 

Jo gave him one last wave before she joined the guests and Misha was left alone. He tried hard to take deep calming breaths, but he still felt far from ready when Michael entered the tent and held out his arm. “It’s time, brother.”

Steeling himself he took the offered arm and they left the tent. It was barely more than a few steps to the red carpet where the heads of all clan members turned towards him. Even though Misha was clothed again, he felt various pairs of eyes drop to his throat as well as his hands where a few painted lines were visible. In the silence that was custom at a were wedding, the weight of those looks was almost suffocating and Misha focused on the pavilion instead. Dean and Jensen were standing on one side with their backs towards him. Dean wasn’t allowed to turn around until Misha was by side, but Jensen could if he wanted to. Of course Misha knew why Jensen wasn’t facing him, but he wished he would catch a brief look at those green eyes and know if they were good despite what had happened.

Castiel was standing at the other side, smiling brightly and extending his hand towards Misha. That’s when he felt Michael letting go of him and giving him a little nudge. Misha took Castiel’s hand and finally occupied the free space between his brother and his husband. Misha’s eyes were watching Dean who was turning towards him achingly slow.

The Alpha’s scent was devoid of anything negative, be it fear or anger and Misha took comfort in it. Dean laced his hands with Misha’s and gave him a reassuring smile before turning to John and Michael who had positioned themselves in front of the pair. John coughed before raising his voice.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have come together to celebrate the union of the Alpha Dean Winchester and Omega Misha Novak.”

It was really happening. All of a sudden Misha felt dizzy and Dean, apparently sensing his discomfort, began rubbing soothing circles on his wrists with his thumb. Misha looked up to Dean, a grateful smile forming on his lips. His Alpha was here with him, it was going to be okay.

He was able to focus on John’s speech again. “Each of us when separated, having one side only, is but the indenture of a person and we are always looking for our other half. When one of us finally meets our other half, we are lost in an amazement of love and friendship and intimacy, and would not be out of the other's sight even for a moment. We pass our whole lives together, desiring that we should be melted into one, to spend our lives as one person instead of two, and so that after our death there will be one departed soul instead of two.”

John paused and looked down at their joined hands before turning to his eldest son. “These are the hands of your best friend, strong and full of love for you, that are holding yours on your wedding day as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow and forever.”

Misha picked up on a slight change in Dean’s scent, something warm and earthy mixing with his natural Alpha scent. It soothed Misha’s wolf and he felt protected.

John turned to Misha.

“These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch will comfort you like no other. 

These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it, support and encouragement to pursue your dreams, and comfort in difficult times. And lastly, these are the hands that even years from now will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just one touch.”

When John had ended, he turned towards Michael who was holding the ring cushion. Misha’s heart was threatening to rip out of his ribcage until he felt another aura wrapping around him. He blinked up to Dean, but whatever was effectively calming him down was definitely not an Alpha. Then Misha’s eyes settled on Jensen who was giving him a little, knowing smile before mouthing a silent ‘You’re welcome’. 

Misha raised his hand and took the first ring with his own name engraved on the inside before speaking to Dean.

“My heart is in this ring. I promise to be your faithful husband, to love you through the best and the worst and I give you my unwavering trust. When you look at this ring, remember that I love you always.”

Then he proceeded to put the ring on Dean’s hand. The Alpha was beaming with joy and Misha couldn’t help but feel the same.

Dean took the second ring from the cushion and looked at Misha again, his eyes full of warmth. “My love is in this ring. I promise you my unconditional love, to love you through the difficult and the easy and I give you my unwavering trust. When you look at this ring, remember that I love you always.”

Then he was sliding the ring onto Misha’s finger and John took over again.

“By the power vested in me I now pronounce you married.” 

For a moment Misha was unbelievably happy, but then John’s words cut through his illusion of happiness. “Dean, you may claim this Omega as yours.”

The claiming bite. Misha froze and even Jensen’s aura did nothing to prevent the panic from rising in his chest. This was it, now he was nothing more than an Alpha’s possession. 

His wolf was not as transfixed though and he was tilting his head back, baring his neck for his Alpha’s fangs. Dean’s arms slid around his body to pull him closer and then Dean leaned forward. Misha was expecting teeth to tear his skin open, so he was caught off-guard when one of Dean’s hands gripped at his neck to turn his face back towards Dean’s. And before he could process what Dean was doing, the Alpha’s lips were on his.

For a few seconds it was nothing more than a soft press of lips against lips. Nevertheless the tension eased out of Misha’s body because this was so much better than the bite he had imagined. Then Dean pressed closer and Misha instinctively opened his mouth to let his Alpha in. Dean’s tongue pushed gently over Misha’s teeth and the Omega couldn’t help changing the angle to give him better access, but Dean pulled away instead. Misha opened his eyes when he felt a wave of emotions that were not his own, wash over him. He risked a quick glance at Jensen who had a strange expression on his face, relief as well as…hurt?

He got distracted by the irritation coming from the rest of the guests foremost John and Michael. “Son, you need to claim him.”

Dean shook his head vehemently. “I will, but not now. Not until he has given himself over to me.”

That seemed to satisfy both pack leaders. Misha swallowed hard. Dean’s words meant that he would be claiming Misha in bed. Tonight. He knew there was no way around it and he took a deep breath that filled his nose with  _Dean._ He remembered how understanding and gentle Dean had been with him. His husband was the most caring and patient Alpha he had ever seen, so he was going to do this for him. Yes, he was going to be a good Omega and please his Alpha. 

And then they were surrounded by both clans, excitement radiating off them and taking Misha’s mind off the wedding night.

Ellen was the first to pull him into a hug. “Welcome to the family, Misha.”

She held him tight for a few seconds and there was something unmistakable motherly about it. It was surprisingly calming until he pulled back and was assaulted by Jo who was beaming with joy again.

“Oh my god, I’m so happy for you. I just know we’re gonna get along well.” Misha chuckled into her hair while he tried to breathe through her squeezing grip. “I’d love to be friends, but could you please let me go?”

“Oh, sorry,” she muttered before finally letting go.

Misha would have laughed but John was approaching him and despite the soft smile on the Alpha’s lips, Misha tensed. When he was pulled into John’s arms and felt his nose at his throat, he couldn’t help the shiver of fear running down his spine. Dean’s hand around his tightened in disapproval and Misha could hear a low warning growl. John pulled back with an irritated look over Misha’s shoulder. “Jensen, behave yourself.”

Misha turned back just in time to see Jensen snapping his mouth shut and he realized it hadn’t been Dean who had been growling. Dean’s face was stoic but Misha could see the spark in his eyes when he spoke to his father. “He’s not the impolite one, Dad.”

Misha sucked in a breath at the accusation and he was certain that it would have led to a fight between the two Alphas if they weren’t in public right now. John’s eyes narrowed, but he just nodded stiffly and turned away.

“Are you okay?” Dean murmured under his breath with a concerned look at Misha.

“I’m good. I’m used to Alphas’ stances when it comes to property.”

He hadn’t meant to sound bitter, because that was just the world they were living in, but Dean seemed to see right through his words. He blinked and for a moment he looked affronted though it didn’t seem to be directed towards Misha. “You’re no one’s property, Misha.”

The ring on his hand suddenly felt heavy. “From now on I’m yours.”

He was confused by the negative vibes Dean was suddenly emanating and he had barely time to wonder how he had managed to make his Alpha this unhappy when his attention was drawn to another Alpha approaching him. It was Michael, a proud smile on his face. “I can’t tell you how happy I am for you, little brother. I’m sure you’ll love it here.”

Misha was sure he didn’t imagine the warning arch of Michael’s eyebrow, a silent reminder that Misha  _would_ love it here. 

He nodded, allowing his former pack leader to scent his throat before Lucifer approached him patiently. His smile was wide and Misha wondered if Dean would fall for his brother’s ever-present fake politeness. But a look at Dean’s face put that worry to rest. He didn’t say a word, but his body was even more tense and Lucifer seemed to notice as well, because he just gave Misha a little nod before turning away. Misha released the breath he had been holding, right before he was being crushed between two Betas. He huffed in laughter while Anna was sniffing into his shoulder and Gabriel made a poor, mocking attempt of mimicking her.

“Anna, I’m going to be fine.”

“I know. It’s just, I’ll barely see you anymore.”

He patted her head trying to ignore Gabriel at his other side who was tugging at his collar, wailing overdramatically.

“How am I supposed to let you go, brother mine? To fall asleep at night knowing you’re in the arms of another.”

John, Michael and Lucifer were the only ones not bursting out into laughter at that. Then Gabriel raised his head slightly to meet Misha’s eyes and they were much too sober for this joke. A moment later the Beta’s head was buried in Misha’s neck and he was back to his fake-crying and that was when the penny dropped: Gabriel was trying to cover Jensen’s scent with his own. It was a wonder the clan leaders hadn’t picked up on it while scenting Misha and he could only pray Dean hadn’t either, otherwise Gabriel’s actions would be in vain.

Knowing what his brother was doing Misha allowed him willingly to go on and when the short Beta finally pulled away, he gave him a grateful smile. Then the last two members of his family approached him, Chuck and Castiel. They were both standing there with honest but sad smiles and Misha was struck how much they looked alike, not in physical appearance but in their attitude towards him. This time it was Misha who initiated the hug, pulling his father and his brother into his arms so tight, his nose was filled with roses and ozone. No words were spoken, there was no need to.

Eventually they parted and Misha felt the soft press of a hand on his lower back. He turned to find Dean giving him a sympathetic smile.

“Do you want me to introduce you to the rest of my clan?”

“I would like that,” Misha told him and Dean guided him down the stairs of the pavilion where John, Ellen and Jo had already joined the rest of their pack.

Dean pointed to the red-headed girl at the front. “That’s Charlie Bradbury, my unofficial little sister.”

Before Dean had even finished, Charlie had thrown herself into his arms and when Misha inhaled, he looked at him questioningly. “She’s human.”

“Yes.” Dean only smiled, obviously not intending to explain further and Misha didn’t want to dig deeper. This clan was obviously very different from the one he had grown up in.

Dean turned to his guests again when a man approached, brown hair with a small head. “That’s Garth Fitzgerald, the latest member of our clan.”

Another hug told him Garth was human as well.

Then he was approached by two women, one of them with her blonde hair in a ponytail, the other one’s hair was brown and cut short.

“Donna Hanscum and Jody Mills, the sheriffs of Willowdale.” This time Misha could smell something else underneath their human scent, something common between them. He inhaled deeper before it hit him and he couldn’t stop the happiness showing in his smile. “You’re mated.”

Both grinned at each other before Jody put her arm around Donna proudly. “Yes, we are. Though people in town prefer to say we’re in a relationship. That mating stuff is reversed for wolves.” Misha nodded. He knew that, but he had rarely contact with humans, so he had simply forgotten. 

Donna winked at him. “Though that doesn’t prevent Jody from biting me occasionally.”

Jody and Misha laughed while Dean pulled at the Omega’s arm with a roll of his eyes. “You two are impossible.” He turned to the man standing behind Donna, a slim, short build with a long mane of straight dirty blond hair. He offered his hand with a nervous glance at Dean. Misha picked up the smell of a Beta and wondered why he seemed so anxious, but since Dean didn’t react in any way and the man relaxed at that, he shrugged it off. “That’s Ash Lindberg, our computer genius if you ever need one.”

Another Beta appeared, a stronger build than Ash and with short brown hair and a bit of facial hair. Despite his intimidating physic, his smell was calming and comforting. “That’s my best friend, Benny Lafitte.”

A crushing hug later Dean gestured towards the last one Misha didn’t know yet. It was an older Beta with light brown hair and a beard. He looked wildly uncomfortable in his suit as though he wasn’t used to those formal clothes. “And this is Bobby Singer, my boss at work and second father.” At Dean’s words Bobby smiled before shaking Misha’s hand. “I hope you take good care of that boy. He needs someone to watch out for his ass.”

There was something in Bobby’s eyes that told Misha that he really meant those words and he barely refrained himself from asking how an Omega was supposed to take care of an Alpha. It was usually the other way around. He missed whatever Dean replied to Bobby when his eyes landed on the only Winchesters who hadn’t congratulated him yet. They were standing at the side patiently, the taller one stepping closer when he met Misha’s gaze. Then Sam was hugging him and Misha grinned when he noticed that the giant Beta smelled like cookies with that earthy hint Misha had begun to associate with all the Winchesters. After releasing him Sam stayed at Misha’s side and the ease Misha had felt during the whole clan introduction vanished when he looked at the Omega in front of him. They would have to hug – it would be suspicious if they didn’t – but Misha was afraid of Dean’s reaction when he would notice how quickly their scents mingled. It might be out of their control, but Dean was an Alpha and Alphas were possessive when it came to their mates. Jensen seemed to share his concerns because he was looking at his brother questioningly. But Dean’s smile didn’t waver in the slightest and after giving Jensen an encouraging nod, the Omega stepped closer and Misha was finally pulled in his arms. He sagged against Jensen in relief, inhaling as deep as he could and practically feeling how his skin was soaking up Jensen’s scent like a drug. They only hugged for a short second, but Misha already felt stained in a way he didn’t mind that much.

Sam frowned and shot both Omegas a confused glance and Misha’s hope that he didn’t smell like Jensen went sailing out of the window. He tensed, anticipating his Alpha’s growl and a physical fight perhaps but nothing happened. He dared to look at Dean who was eyeing his twin brother with an unreadable expression. He had obviously noticed the change in the scent of both Omegas, but he didn’t look like he was about to tear his brother to pieces even though he didn’t look happy about it either. 

Jesus, now it was Misha who was confused!

Dean turned to him with an insecure look in his eyes. “Would you like some time alone with Jensen?”

Misha froze. Was Dean testing him?

Apparently reading his expression, Dean added, “I just thought you would like to have a bit of time without me before we-you know.” He dropped his gaze to the ground and Misha could smell his unhappiness. “You need time and space to calm down. And you can’t do that with the clan around and especially not with me around.”

Misha shook his head. “You know I like you, Dean.” It wasn’t a lie. He might be afraid of Alphas, but Dean was an exception.

“I know. We already covered that thing with me being the best that could have happened to you.” He smirked playfully before turning serious again. “But I don’t want to force my presence on you. I’d understand if you wanted a bit of time without me.”

Misha was at a loss of words. He had never seen an Alpha this insecure. Alphas didn’t ask, they ordered with their natural confidence surrounding them since it was their given right. What was even stranger was the fact that it didn’t make Dean any weaker to stop and ask an Omega for directions. If an Alpha lost his direction, his clan members usually turned away because the pack needed a course. Misha couldn’t shake the suspicion that  _this_ was Dean’s course.

He jumped when he felt Jensen’s hand at his waist. The Omega was smiling at his big brother and the gentleness was back in his aura. Even though it was directed at Dean this time, Misha relaxed immediately.

“Dean, stop it,” Jensen told him. “I know what you or your pathetic Alpha instincts are thinking. Your Omega is taking on my scent and you assume he prefers me over you, right?” Dean didn’t answer, but Jensen obviously didn’t need one anyway. He let go of Misha and grabbed his brother’s shoulders. “Please stop thinking so little of yourself, Dean. You’re the best Alpha somebody could ask for. And Misha just said himself that he likes you. I’m not here to take him away from you.”

Misha watched in amazement how the brothers took a breath in unison, their foreheads resting against the other’s.

Eventually Dean pulled away. “I’m being silly, right?”

“No. You’re being you.”

Dean laughed and the atmosphere brightened immediately. The Alpha looked at Misha. “Would you mind joining the others? I’m sure they’re waiting for us.”

Misha nodded and let Dean lead him back to the other guests, Jensen and Sam following close behind.

The afternoon passed in a blur and when the sun began to set, Michael announced that his clan would return home. Dean and Misha escorted them to their car in Willowdale, together with Castiel, Jensen and Sam.

They stared after the car for a long moment before Dean addressed the delicate issue hanging in the air. “Misha, would you like to see our house?”

Misha tensed at the hidden implication, but he nodded anyway. “Sure.”

The walk to said house took forever and Misha was glad that their respective brothers were accompanying them. Jensen and Castiel were trying hard to soothe him with their Omega auras and Misha was grateful because up until they reached the doorstep of their impressive house – though Misha couldn’t tell much else in the dark – he remained calm.

At the front door Sam excused himself with an awkward shrug and a worried look at Misha. Castiel took a hold of Misha’s hands and turned to Dean. “You will not hurt him.” His voice was firm, making it sound like an Alpha’s command and if Dean was anything like Michael and Lucifer, he’d be angry at an Omega treating him like this. Misha wasn’t surprised though to witness Dean giving in. 

The Alpha met Castiel’s gaze and nodded. “I won’t. I promise.”

But then he did something that made Castiel as well as Misha gape in shock. He dropped to his knees in front of Castiel and bared his throat. Castiel’s eyes widened and Misha was sure he wasn’t looking much better either, because Dean was  _submitting._ Baring their throat while giving a promise meant they were giving the other were permission to hurt them if they broke it.

Castiel lowered his head to nose at Dean’s throat in acceptance of his offer before Dean rose to his feet again.

Misha was still convinced he had just imagined that scene when Jensen leaned so close to him, no one but Misha could hear his words. “I know you’re nervous, Misha. But my brother will go slow with you. He’s not an ass.”

Then Jensen pulled away and together with Castiel he walked towards Sam who was waiting by the side of the road. Then Misha took a deep breath to steel himself for his doom.


	5. Chapter 5

When the three other men had disappeared from his sight, Dean was left alone with the anxious Omega next to him.

“We should get inside.”

Misha obeyed and Dean followed him into their new home. He switched on the light while Misha was exploring the house on his own. Most walls were painted in light colors and everything smelled new.

Dean decided to give Misha some space and took the stairs to their bedroom, the only one painted in darker colors, carmine red with teakwood furniture to be precise. The white sheets of the bed were covered in rose petals and when Dean sniffed the air, there were traces of Jo’s and Charlie’s scent in the room. He made a mental note to thank them tomorrow.

After a few minutes the door opened and Misha joined him in the room.

“I like this house.”

The simple statement calmed Dean immediately, but he remained quiet while Misha’s eyes roamed over the bedroom. “It’s time, I guess.”

His voice was calm and Dean couldn’t tell how Misha was feeling, hoping his wolf had a better idea of figuring him out.

Trying to block out everything else Dean closed his eyes and leaned in for a kiss. Misha’s lips were soft and opened for him after a moment, inviting the Alpha. Dean put his arms around the other man and deepened the kiss by sliding his tongue into Misha’s mouth. Despite his attempt to stay focused, he couldn’t help wondering why his wolf was so quiet. There was no sign from his animalistic side how he should take this or if his wolf was even onboard with this. Usually his wolf was very vocal when Dean engaged in sexual acts, but now there was silence as though his wolf was insecure.

Dean pulled back from the kiss and rested his forehead against Misha’s. “Are you okay?”

Misha’s eyes opened and he smiled half-heartedly. “Yeah. I’m just a bit nervous.”

Dean nodded, but when he took a deep breath, he could smell the fear coming from the Omega.

“You haven’t done this before, right?”

Misha swallowed hard. “No.”

He wasn’t lying, Dean’s wolf was sure about that, but he wasn’t telling him everything either. Dean decided not to dwell on it, now was not the right time for talking about past relationships.

Dean’s wolf seemed to have had enough of his human’s constant doubts and let out an annoyed huff before finally taking over.

He kissed Misha again, this time harder and pulled his body against his own, one of his hands coming up to tangle in his hair. When he left Misha’s lips and began trailing kisses down his throat, he felt the tension ease from Misha’s body and his Alpha side prided itself in being able to calm the Omega down. He licked playfully at Misha’s chin, drawing a chuckle from the smaller man.

“That’s really nice actually. I could do this all night long.”

Dean’s wolf hummed in agreement, surprisingly content with the prospect of spending the night with nothing more than making out with that delicious Omega.

Dean sighed. “Me too. But you know we have to go through with it. Our Alphas wouldn’t be pleased if they noticed we didn’t mate tonight.”

“I know,” the Omega replied and the tension was back. Dean’s wolf growled at his human for upsetting their Omega, but there was nothing either of them could do, there was no other way after all.

Kissing Misha again he lead them back until the latter’s legs hit the edge of the bed and they tumbled onto it with the Alpha on top. The feel of the Omega underneath him, was electrifying and Dean could feel his cock finally taking interest. Misha’s arms had come around Dean’s back to hold him close, but his body was tense and he had averted his head. Dean pulled back slightly to look at Misha’s face. “Misha, will you look at me, please?”

Instead of complying Misha gripped the back of Dean’s head to pull him back in and crush their mouths together. The kiss was anything but gentle and almost animalistic enough to distract Dean from Misha’s state of mind. Dean ripped at Misha’s shirt to get it off, his wolf agreeing that there were too many layers of clothes between them. Just when Dean’s head dropped to Misha’s chest, his nose filled with a large dose of the Omega’s scent; so filled with panic that the watermelon had vanished completely and even the always prominent cinnamon was barely noticeable underneath. Dean’s wolf howled in shock and before he was able to process it, Dean had somehow retreated into the furthest corner of the room. He had curled in on himself and was barely noticing Misha anymore. Instead he was fighting hard to keep his wolf back who was furious at his human side for scaring their Omega like this. Despite his attempts, Dean could feel his fingernails lengthening into small claws which were digging into his own arms. His wolf seemed to be satisfied at the smell of his own blood filling the room, apparently an appropriate punishment.

“Dean?” Misha asked, undoubtedly unsettled by the blood.

Dean’s human side was too far gone to answer, but his wolf whined low in response. The bed creaked and two seconds later Misha was kneeling in front of him. “Dean, what are you doing? Stop it, you’re hurting yourself!”

His wolf huffed at the worry in the Omega’s voice. The human had hurt their Omega, it needed to suffer. It used the human’s mouth to communicate.

“We hurt you, Omega. We need to be punished.”

Misha’s eyes widened at the changed voice and he could obviously tell that not Dean but his wolf was talking to him. Which meant Dean had lost control. That happened rarely and it was hard for the human side to take over again.

But Misha seemed to have an idea, because suddenly he dropped to his stomach and rolled onto his back. “Make me better, Alpha.”

Dean was amazed by the effect that request had on his wolf. He was on top of the Omega in an instant, rubbing his cheek on Misha’s chest to soothe as well as ask for forgiveness. Misha’s arms came around Dean to hold him in place. “It’s alright, puppy.”

His wolf growled half-heartedly at the teasing nickname and he dragged his teeth over Misha’s chest bone, just lightly in order to not break the skin. Nevertheless Misha’s scent remained unchanged, the panic from earlier vanished long ago. Dean’s wolf calmed down at that and Dean felt himself sliding back to the surface. Misha must have noticed the change, because he began carding his hand through Dean’s hair in such a childlike manner that his wolf wouldn’t have approved of.

“Are you okay again?” Misha asked tentatively.

“Thanks to you,” Dean told him before kissing him again. 

Then he stood up and pulled Misha up with him. “But my wolf was right, I can’t do this. Not yet. You would constantly be afraid of me if I forced this on you now.”

Misha blinked confused while Dean led them back onto the bed. “What are you trying to say?”

Dean pulled back the covers and patted onto the mattress. “Come here.”

The wariness returned to Misha’s smell but he complied even though he kept a bit of distance between their bodies. Dean turned away from him and closed his eyes. “We’re both not ready for this. As long as you’re not comfortable around me, my wolf refuses to claim you. Which means I won’t touch you until you come to me.”

For a long time it was silent though the itching on Dean’s skin told him that Misha was watching him. Then he felt Misha sliding closer to him and pressing a soft kiss to his neck. “Thank you, Dean.”

He smiled into his pillow before succumbing to sleep.

 

-0-

 

The moment the sun appeared on the horizon, Jensen was out of the door of John’s house to make his way to Dean’s. He was being pathetic, he knew that, but he couldn’t help it. His wolf had been pacing on the surface for hours and Jensen didn’t even know why. Of course he was worried about Misha, but this was ridiculous. He had no reason to feel like this.

He was running up the mountain and he could feel Castiel right behind him, radiating the same kind of worry and restlessness. He could hear Sam calling after them, but his wolf didn’t care right now. The air was still chilly, the forest slowly awakening to the sound of birds chirping. Usually he would stop and appreciate the beauty, but the only thing he could focus on was his strange desperation. His human side knew what awaited them; Dean and Misha with fresh mating bites, their scents mixing into one as further evidence of their bond. His wolf had obviously not got the message though. 

Jensen reached the house in record time and with Castiel still at his heels, he almost burst through the front door without bothering to knock.

His nose filled with the unmistakable smell of Misha who was standing at the table with a look of surprise on his face. He didn’t appear to be hurt, but his wolf wanted to make sure and this time Jensen was fully on board with it. All he registered was a squeal before he had Misha in his arms, his nose buried in the other man’s neck. His smell was purely Misha, nothing foreign underneath and Jensen belatedly realized that the skin of Misha’s throat was unmarred. He pulled back to look into Misha’s eyes.

“Misha, where is your claiming bite?”

The other Omega dropped his gaze. “We didn’t mate.”

The words rang in Jensen’s ears and his wolf was howling in delight, no matter how hard Jensen tried to stomp it down. It didn’t mean anything and even if he admitted that he might harbor deeper feelings for Misha, it didn’t change the fact that he was married to another. He wasn’t Jensen’s mate, no matter how much his wolf seemed to disagree.

Then a new scent filled the air, bergamot and wet moss.  _Alpha_ .

Jensen spun around, his stance dropping and positioning himself in front of Misha. The features that came into his suddenly blurry view were familiar, but all that his wolf registered was  _Alpha_ and _threat._

His chest vibrated from his own low growl towards the Alpha.

“Jensen?” The Alpha asked and finally he recognized Dean. But his wolf was too much in control already. He surged forward, even though they both knew that he wouldn’t stand a chance against an Alpha, especially his brother.

Dean was so taken aback by the attack that he couldn’t react fast enough. Jensen managed to throw him on the ground. Before he could strike his opponent with his claws though, someone hit him from the side and tackled him to the ground instead. Jensen roared when he came face to face with Castiel, his eyes shining an unnatural blue that was far away from their usual color. It was Omega blue, indicating Castiel’s human side was trapped as much as Jensen’s. He stilled and when Jensen caught his own reflection in Castiel’s eyes he knew why: His own eyes weren’t emerald anymore, but the same blue.

That had never happened to him since Omegas were usually more in control than Alphas. For a few moments both Omegas just stared at each other, both wolves mesmerized by each other, then their wolves retreated. Castiel’s eyes were cobalt again when he got off Jensen. “I’m sorry.”

He looked terrified as though he was expecting to be punished.

“No, don’t be. I started this.” Jensen pulled himself up, unsure what to expect when he looked at Dean. His brother would have every right to be pissed after that stunt, but Jensen had never seen Dean being seriously angry with him. Still Jensen lowered his head and stepped closer to him.

“Dean, I can’t explain what just happened.”

“I don’t think any of us can,” Dean agreed softly. “Let’s just forget about it.”

Jensen nodded and straightened again. 

There was an awkward silence until Sam coughed. “I guess we should sit down and talk. Especially how you want to explain this to Dad.” He motioned towards Misha’s unbitten throat.

The others nodded and a few minutes later they were sitting around the table to eat their breakfast and figure something out.

Misha eventually broke the silence. “Maybe we should just get it over with and do it.”

He hadn’t even finished his sentence when Dean, Jensen and Castiel silenced him with a united “No!”

“Seriously, guys, it’s not like there’s a way around it. It has to happen sooner rather than later.”

Dean turned to Misha with his most adamant face. “I told you, I’m not going to mark you. Not until you realize the importance of it and want it too.”

“I know how important it is! Every were in their right mind knows that!” Misha argued.

“You obviously don’t, otherwise you wouldn’t suggest such a thing.” Dean sighed and his voice turned pleading. “Misha, we both know that you don’t love me. It doesn’t mean you never will, but please, don’t ask me to do this to you now. I couldn’t look into a mirror anymore.”

Finally Misha’s shoulders slumped and he nodded. “Fine. But John and Michael won’t be pleased.”

“Just leave them to me,” said Dean calmly. “I’ll talk to John this afternoon when we’re checking the borders of our territory.”

No one was particularly content with this suggestion, but there was probably no way to break it to John more gently.

Dean rose from his chair, not even bothering to eat breakfast apparently.

“I’ll go talk to him right now. The sooner he knows the better.”

His voice was neutral, but Jensen could see right through the façade.

The Alpha turned to Misha and his expression softened the tiniest bit.

“I’m afraid I won’t be back until sundown.”

Misha nodded and Dean bent down towards him to give him an innocent peck on the lips. It was over in less than a second, but Jensen had to swallow down a warning growl.

When Dean pulled back, his eyes shifted to Jensen and for a moment the Omega was afraid, his brother had heard it nevertheless, but Dean had a small smile playing on his lips.

“I know Sam and Cas have to be at work today. So I was hoping maybe you could keep Misha some company?”

“Sure,” Jensen responded dumbfounded.

Dean gave him a thankful nod before putting on his jacket and shoes and vanishing through the front door.

The atmosphere was strange after his departure and while the three Omegas cleaned up the table, Sam voiced what they were all thinking.

“I’m curious how this day’s gonna play out. I mean, Dad’s strict and he’s so desperate for Michael’s approval. I’m not sure how he’s gonna take this conversation with Dean.”

The others hummed in agreement and they didn’t talk further until Sam and Cas left for work. Jensen glanced at Misha and wondered if it really was a good idea to spend a whole day alone with him. He tried to fake a cheerful smile.

“So, any ideas what you’d like to do until Dean comes back?”

Misha shrugged. “Not really. Whatever you suggest.”

“I could give you a little tour on our territory. I mean we would only cover the basics obviously, but at least you’d get an idea of your new home.”

Misha eyed Jensen hesitantly. “I’d love to, but wouldn’t that be foolish?”

Jensen frowned in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Well, two Omegas out on their own. Isn’t that asking for trouble?”

Finally Jensen understood. He tended to forget that his pack was so liberal about that kind of stuff. “Don’t worry. As long as we stay within our borders we’re free to go wherever we like.”

Misha’s look turned curious. “Then let’s do it.”

 

-0-

 

His father was already waiting for Dean when he got down to his house. And it took him only ten seconds to realize what Dean had done – or rather  _not_ done. It was obvious from the way his smile changed into a grimace and his scent rubbed Dean’s wolf the wrong way. But when Dean reached him, his father just turned around to start their walk towards the western border. The air was still charged though and Dean knew his leader was only postponing this conversation until their duties were fulfilled. 

Forty minutes but not a single word later, they reached the river and as soon as they dove into it, Dean knew they were being watched. His wolf huffed in irritation at the tingle in his spine, but he tried hard to relax. They would meet with the Marsters, of course those guys would be watching them.

They swam to the other side and even though this was still Winchester territory, they could indeed see four other weres standing on top of the large rock.

John bared his teeth in disapproval.

“You crossed the border, Alastair.”

The large man chuckled before jumping down to their height, right between John and Dean.

“Well, borders don’t seem to matter that much these days.”

It was an obvious jab at Jensen’s trespassing the other day and Dean growled low in his throat. His father scowled darkly at him, yet Dean wasn’t sure whether it was for his reaction or him being involved in Jensen’s stunt. He was just glad that he had only told John about this  _after_ Jensen had returned safely.

Alastair turned to Dean, his scraggy features twisting into an arrogant smirk. The look in his ice blue eyes made the hair on his neck stand up.

“So, Dean, I heard you’ve gotten married yesterday. I wanted to congratulate you, but you don’t smell mated, so I’m not sure if that is appropriate. Was the Omega that bad in satisfying you?”

It was a trap, Dean knew that, but his wolf couldn’t care less. John’s hand was on his shoulder before Dean even realized his muscles had tensed dangerously. He didn’t move, the human and wolf both aware that a fight was the last thing they needed right now, but the wolf clawed its way to the front of Dean’s conscious to use his mouth.

“Insult our Omega again and we will make you suffer, Alpha.”

The three other weres behind Alastair seemed to contemplate intervening but the Alpha only raised his eye brows.

“A bit touchy, aren’t we? Well, I’m sure I’ll see your Omega soon enough.”

His tongue curled playfully around the words and Dean had to take a deep breath to keep from lunging forward.

Now it was John’s turn to growl.

“Enough teasing. As you know, we are here for the Omega girl.”

“You are no fun, John” Alastair told him with a sigh before getting serious. “After your Omega son disappeared, Meg informed me of what happened and I sent out some of my people to find out about any missing were. Bela was successful at last.”

Said Beta joined Alastair’s side, confidence radiating from her as she continued.

“Her name was Jessica Moore. She was part of a small clan a hundred miles south. She was living alone with two humans, so it took her family a while to notice she was gone.”

Dean’s wolf retreated at her words and he nodded in acceptance.

“Alright, what about her body?”

“We returned the corpse to her clan leader right after that.”

It was a small comfort, but at least her family knew the truth now. Better than to live with false hope in their hearts.

“Thank you for sharing this with us. Until we know for sure that this was just an isolated case, I suggest you should not wander through the forests alone.”

Bela sneered at his words. “We don’t have any Omegas, so we’ll be good.”

Dean would have liked to hit her for that, but he settled for glaring instead. He was surprised to see a similar emotion cross Alastair’s features.

“Bela, watch your tongue. We don’t know for sure if that were is only out for Omegas. After all, that girl was victim of a sexual assault and it’s possible that this were will get tired of them sooner rather than later.”

Bela didn’t seem to agree, but she clicked her mouth shut nevertheless.

Alastair turned back to John. “If there are any updates on this, I will let you know, John. In the meantime, please make sure that your Omegas stay in their own territory. We don’t want them to suffer any harm, do we?”

John clenched his teeth, but didn’t protest when he entered the cold stream of water again. When Alastair and Bela left into the other direction, Dean was about to follow his father but stopped upon sensing one of the Betas coming up behind him. He turned around to a woman eyeing him carefully, her long brown hair framing her face in locks.

“Please tell your brother to watch out for himself. Don’t want to see a familiar Omega being the next victim.”

Dean nodded, unsure of her intentions. She was about to follow her clan members when she looked at him again, this time with a small smile playing on her lips.

“And you know, congratulations on getting married. I wish you and your Omega all the best.”

Dean could only stare after her when she took off with a wink.

Eventually he caught up with John who hadn’t bothered to wait for him at the other side of the river, but kept throwing dark glances over his shoulder. As soon as Dean was at his side again, John broke the silence.

“So, tell me, boy. What went wrong yesterday?”

Dean swallowed and steeled himself for the upcoming fight. “Nothing went wrong, quite the contrary actually.”

John snorted at his words. “Then why didn’t you mate last night? And don’t even try lying to me, son, because his scent on you is so subtle that I doubt you did anything beyond sleeping in the same bed last night.”

“Well, we kissed and we tried stuff if that makes you feel better. But I couldn’t go through with it.”

John increased his pace, his anger filling the air. “Why not?”

“He was afraid of me and I didn’t want to force this on him. Not as long as he doesn’t trust me.”

“We don’t have time for this, Dean! Of course, Misha is afraid, I don’t blame him, but it could be months until he feels ready for this! You know how much Michael values traditions and our clan needs this bond as well.” John stopped to look at Dean intently. “Our wolves thirst for blood to avenge Rufus’ death, you know that! As long as you don’t bond with Misha, we are all unstable. Bobby hasn’t been the same and you’ve seen Ash recently. If we don’t want to fall apart, we need to act fast.”

Dean met his father’s stare calmly in an open challenge. “I know that. But I’m not going to do anything that’s going to make Misha fall apart either.” John growled in frustration, but Dean ignored him. “He’s my mate. I won’t let any harm come to him.”

John’s features softened though he didn’t look particularly happy. “I know you just want the best for your mate. But you have to understand that I just want to do the best for our clan.”

“I know,” Dean told him and he actually meant it. “Otherwise I’d be tearing your throat out for suggesting that I should rape my mate.”

John sighed heavily and Dean sensed victory.

“Fine. Let’s just hope the Novaks won’t make a surprise visit any time soon.”

“I doubt that. You just said that Michael likes to do things the traditional way, right? Well, as far as I’m concerned checking up on Misha without any given reason, would be an insult to us.”

John nodded. “As far as Michael is concerned, Misha is a Winchester now. I’d be surprised if they even showed up on your first wedding anniversary.”

Both Alphas resumed walking with their conversation turning towards lighter topics.

 

-0-

 

Ten minutes after Jensen and Misha had left the house and begun their exploration tour through the territory, Misha loved it already. Their house was so high up on the hill that the air was clean and smelled of nothing but forest and flowers. Misha had never got out of his house pretty much – Omegas weren’t supposed to be too much in the open – and he relished the feeling of freedom that came with it. He was smiling broadly as he passed old trees as well as moss-covered rocks and he finally came to a halt on the highest point of the hill, a meadow full of flowers in every color he could imagine. He closed his eyes and let himself fall back into the high grass, the warmth of the sun seeping through his skin. He didn’t know how long he lay there, maybe minutes, maybe hours. When he finally opened his eyes and turned his head to the side, Jensen was standing a few feet away, looking down at him with an unreadable expression. Misha inhaled deeply and amidst the suffocating smell of the various flowers, he could pick up on a hint of vanilla. Misha was too lazy and carefree to think much of it when he extended his hand to the other Omega.

“Come here, Jensen.”

It was only a soft whisper, but Jensen obeyed and slowly walked closer until his fingers latched onto Misha’s and he lay down beside him.

Jensen’s scent began to cover everything else and Misha hummed contently when he could pick up on the earthy Winchester note. He buried his nose in Jensen’s shoulder and a soft sigh escaped him.

“You smell amazing.”

Jensen chuckled and finally turned towards him, emerald capturing azure. “Are you trying to seduce me, Misha?”

His voice was unbelievably soft and Misha was tempted to ask him the same thing. Instead he shuffled closer until he was draped over Jensen’s side, his nose right under Jensen’s chin.

Jensen shuddered, but made no move to pull away. “If so, you’re doing a great job at that.”

Misha propped up his head to gaze back into Jensen’s eyes. “You make me feel at ease. It’s nothing I’ve ever felt before. You smell safe, like home.”

He was afraid his words might break the moment, but Jensen just stared at him, his look flickering all over Misha’s face until it settled back onto his eyes. “Can I kiss you, Misha?”

The words were too much to process and Misha couldn’t answer. He waited until Jensen pulled him forward and captured his lips in a soft kiss. Misha groaned in unison with his wolf and already hungry for this feeling he pressed back harder. His mouth parted and he felt Jensen’s tongue slip in, setting Misha on fire. He was barely aware of them moving, but suddenly Jensen was on top of him and licking into his mouth, his hips grinding down onto Misha’s, making both of them gasp at the sensation. Jensen was half-hard already and Misha felt his cock stirring as well, just as the arousal sent a wave of slick out of his ass. Jensen’s nose obviously caught the sweet smell, because he moaned into Misha’s mouth before breaking the kiss and trailing kisses down Misha’s neck.

“God, Mish, you smell delicious. Can’t wait to eat you out.”

His wolf almost purred at the words, but then Misha’s brain finally kicked in again. “Jen, we need to stop.”

Jensen stopped his kissing and when he looked down at Misha, his pupils were dilated, leaving only a small ring of the green iris.

“I want to make you mine, Mish.”

Misha closed his eyes when the possessiveness on Jensen’s voice sent another wave of slick down.

“I’m married, Jen. I belong to another.”

Jensen’s eyes lit up blue so sudden that Misha jumped. The stare devouring him now was Jensen’s wolf and Misha was awestruck by the powerful aura.

“You are not mated. Let us take you! Let us lay our claim on you for the entire world to see and form the one bond that lasts forever.”

Misha’s wolf was barely under the surface, wanting to do it, to be claimed.

“Jen…”

Jensen licked fondly over Misha’s chin; his tongue dragging over the latter’s stubble. “We’re gonna take good care of you.”

It took every ounce of self-control for Misha to grab Jensen’s hair and pull him back forcefully. “Jensen, stop it. Your brother is going to claim me and I will let him.”

He could see it when the words hit home. A look of pure hurt crossed Jensen’s face before his blue turned back to emerald and he rolled off Misha. “God, Misha, I’m sorry.”

Misha took a calming breath, trying to ignore his longing for Jensen’s warmth. He just wanted to crawl back into the other Omega’s arms and let himself be held, but his own words rang in his ear. He already belonged to someone else. Misha turned towards Jensen who was still laying there as though he was waiting for death to take him away.

“Jensen? You need to know that I’d give myself to you in a heartbeat if circumstances were different.”

Jensen whined low and it broke Misha’s heart to be the cause of it.

“That makes it worse, you know. How am I supposed to live in the same house with you, never being able to touch you the way I’d want to, knowing you’re feeling the same way?”

Misha smiled sadly before taking Jensen’s hand and giving it a light kiss.

“We’re Omegas. We knew right from the start that our lives wouldn’t be easy.”

Jensen hummed in agreement before slowly getting back onto his feet. “We should get a move on if you want me to keep my hands to myself.”

Misha let himself be pulled up and followed Jensen in a more human speed than before, both not giving their wolves another chance to surface and take control again.

Misha was aware that they both reeked of arousal and slick and hoped desperately they wouldn’t meet any familiar face until they were back home and able to take a shower. But to his surprise Jensen led him deeper into the forest, away from the path the weres usually used for patrolling. When they rounded the corner of a large rock, Misha was met with a small waterfall, just enough to fill the ditch continuing downwards.

“Just thought we could use a good clean-up.” Jensen told him with a shrug.

The idea was brilliant until Jensen stepped under the stream. He was still fully dressed of course, but Misha was mesmerized nevertheless. He could only watch in fascination as Jensen stood there, eyes closed, mouth half open, his soaked clothes clinging to his body like a second skin.

Misha belatedly noticed that he was getting hard again, his arousal filling the air when Jensen opened his eyes and looked at him. His eyes widened when he realized what was happening and Misha contemplated turning around and fleeing from the sight, but Jensen already took a few steps to the side.

“I’m good, now it’s your turn at cooling off.”

Misha was thankful for the ice cold water drenching him, but all the while he kept his eyes on Jensen who had turned his back to Misha to be on the safe side. Obviously a smart move.

He stayed under the stream until he was sure that he was smelling neutral again, before they continued their trip through the territory. Despite the awkwardness of the situation the mood brightened with every passing minute and soon Misha allowed his wolf to memorize their surroundings as well.

After a few hours Jensen led him out of the forest to a place he called  _Roadhouse._ A familiar spicy scent, surprisingly strong for a Beta, filled his nose and when they entered the house, they were greeted by Ellen.

She looked pleased at their sight. “Hi, boys. What a nice surprise!”

“Hi Ellen,” Jensen replied before he sat down at the bar, Misha following him.

“What brings you here at such an early hour? Not drinking I hope. One Ash is enough.”

Misha frowned and she added, “Ash is practically living here. He has got an apartment in town, but he barely leaves his room here anymore expect for playing pool and drinking.”

“What’s wrong with him?” Misha asked tentatively.

“We’re not sure. It started with Rufus’ death a few months ago, but the two were never close, so we’re not sure if it’s related.”

At that moment Ash came stumbling down the stairs, a half-empty bottle of Whiskey in one hand and humming a sad melody.

When he noticed Jensen and Misha, he came over to them, setting the bottle down at the counter and slinging his arm around Misha.

“What are you two doing down here? Y’should be enjoying your honeymoon.”

His voice slurred around the words and he was swaying on his feet. It was a pitiful sight.

Jensen carefully freed Misha and put his arm around Ash. “I’m not Dean, Ash.”

The Beta blinked two times before staring at Jensen as though he had appeared out of nowhere. “Na, you’re not Dean. You smell softer, Jensen.”

Before Jensen could respond, Ash put his arms around him and pulled him into a clinging embrace, his face on Jensen’s chest and sobbing quietly. Jensen just held him as though it was the most usual thing in the world. Misha risked a careful glance at Ellen who just shrugged. “When Ash’s this bad, Jensen is the only one who can calm him down. You know, an Omega being like an anchor and all that stuff.”

Misha nodded. Of course, Omegas were usually the first person to talk to when a member of the pack was feeling down. This though was more than he was used to seeing. “Is Ash the only one?”

“The only one this bad you mean? Yes.” Ellen told him with a sigh. “But of course there are times when the others are bad too though we all try to help each other. You Omegas are so empathetic and we’re afraid it’ll be too much for just one Omega, especially an unmated at that. You know when my husband died, Jensen was still a child. I was so heartbroken that I spent many nights holding him as though he was my own boy. John didn’t care as long as it helped me sleep, but after I recovered I felt bad. He was so young, I shouldn’t have let my walls crumble right in front of him. I could have traumatized him.”

Misha felt another wave of sympathy, both for Ellen and Jensen. “It wasn’t your fault. You needed him and he is strong.”

Ellen nodded thoughtfully. “That he is. Just like his brothers. They are clearly taking after Mary, not their father.”

“Their father is pack leader,” Misha reminded her.

She snorted before meeting his gaze. “That doesn’t make him a strong human being.”

She continued drying the glass in her hand. “So, Misha, what do you think of Dean?”

“I like him very much.” Misha told her carefully. “He’s not like the Alphas I know.”

“I know.” Her eyes dropped to his throat. “You two haven’t mated.”

Misha froze, but she smiled warmly. “Don’t look at me like that, I think it’s good you didn’t. It was too soon.”

Relief flooded Misha. “That’s what Dean said as well. He said he’ll try explaining it to his father.”

Ellen chuckled quietly. “Ah, yes, John. He’s not going to like this one bit. But I’m sure he will give in. Dean can be very stubborn when it comes to people he cares about.”

Her words made Misha smile, but before he could say something, there was a hand at his arm, pulling him backwards and suddenly he was face to face with Ash. The cloud of alcohol surrounding him drowned out his natural scent.

“You smell amazing, Misha, like Omega. Like Jensen.”

Ash – clearly not in the right mind to understand the concept of personal space – pulled him into a bone crushing hug as well while Misha tensed at his words, his glance flicking back to Ellen who was watching him with a frown. “Dean mentioned a few days ago that you seem to take on Jensen’s scent quite easily.”

Misha swallowed around the lump in his throat. “Is he mad?”

Ellen stared at him as though he had lost his mind. “Of course not, this isn’t something you can control. Like I said, he simply mentioned it, but I didn’t actually believe him until today. The moment you two came in, your scents had mingled so much as though you had been out there on your own for a week.” When she saw the expression on Misha’s face she added, “It’s alright. I’m not trying to make you feel guilty for something that’s beyond your power, quite the contrary actually.” She nodded to Ash who was still clinging to Misha and looked almost sleepy. “Your mixed scent is stronger than Jensen’s alone. I’ve never seen Ash calming down this fast.”

Misha was at a loss for words, hoping she wouldn’t ask further. To his surprise she fell silent as well and began cleaning the counter while Jensen slowly disentangled Ash from Misha’s chest.

“Come on, Ash, leave Misha alone. He’s got enough on his plate without you on his ass.”

Ash began to chuckle as he let himself be pushed down on the chair behind him. Ellen shook her head, but she had an amused grin spreading on her face. “Can I get you boys anything?”

Jensen and Misha stayed for two more hours until sundown. When they finally bid their goodbyes to Ellen, Ash and Jo who had shown up some time ago, they both felt exceptionally peaceful. They took their time for the walk back to their house, most of it spent in comfortable silence.

 

-0-

 

On his way back from the police station where Dean told Jody and Donna everything the Marsters had said, he decided to pick up Sam and Castiel from work. They left the agency with Sam animatedly talking and Castiel nodding along, a grin on his face.

Dean waved at them just as a new figure came into view in front of Dean. “Hey, Cassie.”

Dean frowned at the nickname, but Castiel’s face lit up in pure joy.

“Balthazar?”

Then Dean recognized the Beta, who pulled Castiel into a tight embrace, burying his face into the Omega’s neck and taking a deep breath. 

It was like a punch to Dean’s gut and his wolf took over in an instant. He growled angrily and lunched forward, easily shoving the other were away from his Omega. He placed himself between them, taking a defensive stance, one arm extended to keep Castiel behind him. Balthazar got up from the ground with a scowl, but when he met Dean’s gaze, the anger left his body and his eyes widened.

“Stay away from him!” Dean wasn’t sure who was speaking, the wolf or himself, but he couldn’t care less. “He’s not yours.”

Balthazar’s eyes flickered to Castiel in confusion and Dean snarled in a wordless warning. The Beta dropped his gaze to Dean’s feet and bared his throat in submission.

Dean crept closer and scented at his throat, a spicy flavor overcolored with confusion and fear but no arousal.

Satisfied Dean took a step back only now realizing that Castiel and Sam were both talking to him. He ignored them, not daring to leave the threat out of his eyes.

Castiel was even tugging at his sleeve now. “Dean, stop it. Balthazar would never try to harm me.”

His words did nothing to calm Dean’s enraged wolf, instead he felt a wave of jealousy. How could Castiel be so sure about this? How did they even know each other when Castiel was an Omega from a different clan?

Balthazar seemed to sense his concerns, because he added with a smirk, “Castiel and I have history.”

With that little sentence Dean’s control snapped. He ripped his arm from Castiel’s grip and dashed against his enemy. The Beta was thrown off guard and reacted too slow. Dean had him pinned to the ground in the blink of an eye, his teeth at the other man’s throat and adding enough pressure to keep him down without killing him. Nevertheless it was enough to draw a bit of blood and Dean’s wolf reveled in its taste.

“Dean!” Castiel shouted and for the first time ever it sounded truly furious.

Dean turned his eyes to him, surprised at the sparkling in his cobalt gaze. “Get off him!”

Dean’s wolf whined in frustration, but obeyed and he stumbled backwards. While he watched Balthazar cough and Castiel and Sam rushing to his side to help him up, it began to sink in what he had done.

He had attacked and injured another were outside of his own territory. If Balthazar decided to tell the Novaks, he was screwed.

“Balthazar, are you okay?” Castiel asked worriedly.

“Yeah, I’m good. Brought that upon myself, I guess.” He touched the bite marks on his neck and winced at the pain.

Dean didn’t move closer when he had finally found his voice again. “I’m so sorry. I had no right to do that.” Not his best excuse considering the trouble he was in.

Balthazar gave him a genuine smile though. “No, it’s quite alright. It’s not the first time a joke has cost me dearly. I’m just glad you didn’t hurt me as much as you could have had, I suppose.”

Balthazar took a hesitant step towards him, his head downcast to not anger his wolf again as though he really believed this incident to be  _his_ fault. “Just to clarify, I was just teasing you. Castiel is my cousin, that’s why we’re close.”

Despite the immense relief Dean felt at the news, he shook his head. “It shouldn’t be of any business to me.”

“Yet it is.” Balthazar argued quickly before biting his lip as though he hadn’t intended to say that out loud. He was right though. It was obvious from how easily Dean had allowed himself to be riled up from a simple jab.

The Beta dared to meet his eyes, no hostile emotion visible. “I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but can I ask what actually triggered the reaction? If it had been Misha, I’d understood.”

Well, now that they had come to the very confusing heart of the matter. “I don’t know. For a reason I can’t clearly fathom, I’m very protective of Castiel. Too much obviously.”

To his surprise Balthazar put his arm around Dean’s shoulder, studying him with a thoughtful look. “In our world there’s no such thing as being  _too_ protective of an Omega. It’s comforting to know my cousins are in good hands. When I heard Misha would marry an Alpha, I feared the worst. But as far as I can tell you’re a good man, Dean Winchester.”

The compliment made Dean feel even guiltier for attacking the Beta. “Still, I’m really sorry. If there is a way I could make it up to you, let me know, man.”

Balthazar stopped him with a wave of his hand though. “Let’s not go there. The second-in-command of the Winchester clan being in the debt of the second-in-command of the Shurley clan. Sounds like the start of many overdramatic chick-flick moments. Let’s just forget the whole thing. Though if you really want to make it up to me, I’d know a few ways how you could give me a treat.”

“Balthazar!” an embarrassed Castiel called from behind his cousin.

Dean just gave the Beta a wolfish grin. “I’m flattered, but no thanks. I’m naturally not good at taking commands from someone of a lower rank than me.”

Balthazar didn’t seem all that disappointed at the rejection. “Really? Who would have guessed considering you only got off me after an Omega had to keep the reins on you?”

“Balthazar!” Dean and Castiel cried out in unison, both flushing pink.

The Beta pulled Dean closer and laughed heartily. “You two are such a fun to tease. And I didn’t even get to the interesting questions yet. Because I’m honestly wondering now if you let Misha boss you around in bed this much too.”

Dean smile faltered and he averted his eyes, but Balthazar seemed to mistake it anyway.

“Relax, you don’t have to answer that. Not my business. See, now we are even.”

He winked playfully at Dean before turning around and leaving them as abruptly as he had appeared.

“What exactly was that?” Sam asked as he stared after Balthazar.

Castiel chuckled. “Well, there’s a reason why he’s best friends with my brother Gabriel. They’re both taxing sometimes.”

Dean shrugged before getting behind his Impala’s wheel again with Sam joining him and Castiel getting into the backseat.

They didn’t speak fairly much during their ride home, each one of them lost in their own thoughts.

When they reached their house half an hour later, they heard Jensen and Misha before they even saw them. Their joyful laughter greeted them as soon as they stepped through the front door. 

Both Omegas were in the kitchen and the air was filled with the delicious scent of the food they were cooking.

“You guys seem to have a lot of fun,” Sam told them with a smirk.

They turned around as though only now perceiving them and Dean was utterly confused when their smiles waned a bit the moment their glances were on him.

“Hi Dean,” Jensen offered with a nervous smile. It was an unusual expression on his face, especially when talking with his twin brother.

Dean frowned, but when he glanced questioningly at Misha in hope of answers, his husband dropped his head and began setting the table with much more concentration than necessary.

Sam coughed awkwardly. “I’ll head home. I’m sure Dad’s already waiting for me, there was something he wanted to talk about.” And he made a silent retreat, leaving Dean alone with the three Omegas.

Misha looked frightened enough as it was, so Dean turned to Jensen. “What’s wrong with the two of you? What did I do?”

“Nothing,” Jensen told him and Dean knew his brother well enough to tell he wasn’t lying. Which made their behavior even more unusual.

Dean stepped closer to get his brother to look at him. “Fine, then what-“ He broke off when the proximity made him automatically take a deep breath and inhale Jensen’s scent. 

First there was the expected pungent flavor of restlessness, followed by the vanilla that was so typically Jensen. But underneath was something else, something Dean recognized. It had mingled with the vanilla, therefore it took Dean a moment to place it. He blinked when he had figured out that it was cinnamon.

“Jensen, why can I smell Misha on you?”

There was the rattling of silverware hitting the ground and Dean felt Misha’s and Castiel’s eyes on him. Jensen had frozen in the middle of cutting the meat, his head still downcoast, but obviously watching Dean’s reaction.

Dean wasn’t sure himself what he was feeling right now. The only thing he knew was that he wanted an answer to his question. “Jensen?”

His tone wasn’t the commanding Alpha tone, he had expected, but it wasn’t gentle either.

Jensen lifted his eyes to Dean’s chin. “You know that Misha’s scent rubs off on me when we’re together.”

“This is different. Your scents have mingled. If I didn’t know you, I’d assume it was part of _your_ scent.”

When his words made Jensen’s body tremble as well, he was tempted to let the matter go. But he needed to know this. He took another step closer until his chest was touching Jensen’s shoulder, making the Omega jerk.

Dean made an effort to make his voice sound urgent without going all Alpha on his brother. “Jensen, tell me. Please!”

Finally Jensen met his gaze straight on, emerald on emerald. “I kissed Misha.”

Dean heard the sharp intakes of Misha and Castiel, but he surprised himself by giving an irritated whine. His wolf didn’t snap, but paced dangerously low at the surface. He looked to Misha at his side. “Did Jensen force you?”

Misha looked terrified, but he took a step towards Jensen. “No. Actually I kissed him back.”

His response didn’t surprise Dean who felt his wolf calm down the tiniest bit. He still felt too hollow inside, no anger, no hurt, nothing. “Why would you do that?” His voice was trembling and only after the words were out, did Dean realize that his wolf was afraid he had been a bad Alpha to Misha; that it was  _his_ fault.

Without ever averting his eyes from Dean’s Misha stepped next to Jensen and laced his fingers with the other man’s. 

Dean’s wolf whined and shoved his human mind back without the slightest warning. “Did we hurt you?”

Misha’s eyes widened upon hearing the wolf talk and Jensen’s hands came up to cup Dean’s face.

“No, Dean, you did nothing wrong. Please, you need to listen to me.” The wolf turned his eyes from their Omega to the familiar human in front of him.

“Dean, I’m sorry! I know it was wrong, I should have had better control over myself.”

Why was this man apologizing if he hadn’t taken advantage of their Omega?

Suddenly the eyes in front of him turned from green to blue and as though a wall had crumbled, the Alpha sagged against his brother, allowing arms to come around his body and hold him.

Even though his brother was the cause for the strange turmoil of his emotions, the Omega’s touch was like a soothing balm and he drank in the intensified scent. After a few seconds the Alpha was able to conclude that the most prominent feeling within him was the sting of rejection. It was strange to feel like this and being comforted by the touch of his competitor.

“Alphas choose their mates. We’re prepared to fight for them, but how are we supposed to fight when our Omega has chosen another?”

The wolf wasn’t expecting an answer to that. It still felt strange to voice his concerns and muse over them, it was such a human thing to do. It was confusing.

Suddenly their Omega crouched down in front of him and carefully stroked his face with a pitiful smile on his face. “I need to apologize, Alpha. I was acting selfish without thinking about you.”

The Alpha closed his eyes when the Omega began to fondle his hair. “You chose this Omega. We don’t want to hurt either of you, so we have to accept defeat.”

Their Omega shook his head and looked even sadder. “There is no competition. You and me, we were chosen for each other.”

“This isn’t fair!” the Alpha growled as a wave of anger at their pack leaders hit him.

“You’re right,” their mate told them. “But it’s not just one possible love story they’ve ruined. There’s also yours.”

“I like _you_ ,” the Alpha argued.

“I know. But you know that’s not what I meant.”

Love. 

What a confusing human concept. The wolf was not sure he would ever understand what romantic love truly entailed. For him, there was the love of the pack and the even stronger love of family and there was mating.

For humans all of this was love. One word meaning so many different things. The wolf’s head hurt just thinking about it.

Their Omega tilted his head slightly to get their attention. “We  _will_ mate, Alpha.”

The words were spoken without judgement, without resentment. “There is no fight to be won, you already have me.”

The wolf was unsettled that for the first time having won felt closer to having lost.

He looked up when he was reminded of the presence of a third Omega who was kneeling down next to their mate. “Dean? I know you’re in there, I know you can hear me. I need you to come back.”

The Omega wanted to speak to the human, a soft request. The Alpha didn’t hesitate when he felt the human’s tug at his mind.

“Cas?” Dean asked hesitantly.

Castiel smiled though it didn’t reach his eyes. “Are you okay, Dean?”

Dean felt Jensen’s hold loosen and when he turned to his brother, he saw the wolf in him retreat. “That was intense. Did I trigger Jensen’s shift?”

Castiel nodded. “Yes, Misha was close to shifting as well. Like a chain reaction.” Dean let the Omegas help him to his feet, noting that Misha and Jensen looked as drained as he felt.

He chuckled humorlessly. “What a messed up situation.”

The strange atmosphere stayed with them even throughout dinner and as soon as they fell back into their beds a few hours later, they were out like a light.

 


	6. Chapter 6

Despite their emotional breakdown things were going upwards during the next few days. At the beginning they had a few visitors who appeared to check up on them, but Castiel was sure they just wanted to see for themselves that Dean and Misha hadn't mated yet. Their clan had taken the news surprisingly well and most were very understanding even, acknowledging that both men needed more time to get to know each other. After two weeks a nice routine had settled in with Sam picking Castiel up in the morning and Dean and Jensen driving to Bobby's shortly afterwards, leaving Misha to look after the house until they came back. Nothing extraordinary happened, just the strains of everyday life.

Until the end of the third week. It was Saturday morning and Dean and Jensen were quietly bickering over the table who would get the last slice of beacon while the Omegas and Sam watched in growing amusement when the doorbell rang.

Misha sighed. “And here I was thinking the clan was done with those annoying morning visits.”

Castiel gave him a sympathetic pat to his shoulder before walking into the direction of the door. But when he opened it, he was surprised at being face to face with a certain golden-eyed Beta.

“Nice to see you, Cassie!”

Castiel stared dumbfounded at the shorter man who gave him his trademark smirk. “Well, it seems like I succeeded in surprising you, baby brother.”

Castiel felt a presence behind him and the familiar smell of Sam washed over him. “Gabriel?”

Said Beta looked past Castiel and his eyes widened a bit before raking hungrily over the tall Winchester. “Well hello, handsome!”

Sam rolled his eyes, but Castiel knew him well enough now to notice the crinkle at his eyes as he suppressed a smile from spreading on his face.

“What do you want here, Gabriel? You're outside of your territory.”

Gabriel shrugged before stepping inside the house. “Do I need to have a reason for wanting to see my brothers?”

Sam narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. “No. But I doubt Michael would have let you come alone. I'm sure they're dying to see Misha themselves.”

“You're right about that one.” Gabriel confirmed before rounding Sam and taking off into the kitchen, Sam and Castiel following behind.

Gabriel smiled when his eyes settled on Misha and while Dean and Jensen were still processing the Beta's presence, he pulled the Omega into a tight hug. “Misha, it's good to see you, honestly.” Even from this distance Castiel could see Gabriel scenting Misha. “Man, you smell all kinds of awesome. I was always into sweets and that vanilla flavor definitely makes my mouth water.”

Dean and Jensen gave an irritated grumble, but Gabriel had already pulled back and flopped down on a chair, something unreadable in his expression. “So who of you is gonna do the talking?”

“What do you mean?” Dean asked casually, but Castiel could sense his nervousness.

“Don't play dumb, Dean-o! I have to admit that Misha smells heavenly and content even, but not mated. Jesus Christ, he doesn't even smell like you, Dean!”

Castiel swallowed and looked at Dean. The Alpha had tensed, his fingers curled to fists. “What else should he smell like?”

Gabriel threw his hands up and for the first time he looked pissed. “Stop shitting me! Do you think I’m not able to recognize Jensen's scent?”

Jensen jerked and Dean narrowed his eyes at Gabriel. “What are you implying?”

“Nothing, I'm just confused, okay? I mean Misha isn't mated, but he still has that _Odor de Jensen_ soaked up into his skin. I don't know what to think anymore, so would somebody please enlighten me?”

To everyone's surprise it was Jensen who stood up, his eyes on the smaller Beta. “I don't know how to explain this to you. The day after the wedding, I kissed Misha.”

Gabriel turned to Misha worriedly before facing Jensen again. „You kissed him? What else?”

“Nothing. We stopped as soon as we realized it would never work.”

“But that was two weeks ago. If you only kissed, I shouldn't be able to smell you on him anymore.”

Jensen shrugged. “You're right. At least it faded notably. It'll be gone in a few days, at least we hope so.”

Gabriel nodded. “Okay. But why did you kiss him in the first place?” Before anyone could respond he held up his hand. “No, don’t answer that, it’s kind of a stupid question, I suppose. But what I would really like to know is why Misha isn’t mated yet.” His calculating gaze was on Dean now.

The Alpha narrowed his eyes in an open challenge. “Because I’m not a dick!”

He was surprised that the smaller Beta was able to hold his gaze that long without even blinking. Most weres would have dropped their eyes by now.

It was quiet for a few moments until Gabriel sighed. “I’m glad you didn’t mark him, honestly, but if Michael finds out this is gonna be a problem.” Despite his harsh words his voice was sympathetic.

“We know,” Jensen remarked. “That’s why we’re laying low for now.”

Gabriel massaged his temples before getting to his feet. “Alright. I’ll leave you alone now.”

Misha caught his brother’s arm. “Wait, Gabe! Why did you come in the first place?”

The Beta swallowed hard. “It’s not important anymore. You’ve got enough on your plate as it is.”

He wrenched his arm free and went for the door, but Sam blocked his way. “What’s wrong, Gabriel?”

“Nothing, just let it go.”

He tried to round the taller Beta, but Sam snarled and pinned him to the wall instead.

“Sam!” Dean shouted warningly, but his brother wasn’t listening.

“Something’s upsetting you, Gabriel and I want to help, so please tell me!” Sam imposed. There was something dark in his eyes that silenced even Dean.

Whatever it was, it calmed Gabriel down. “Fine. But in comparison to your problems, it’s gonna sound ridiculously petty.” He turned his eyes to Dean and the Alpha was taken aback by the unusual sincerity in them. “I had a major quarrel with Lucifer. I’m not talking about the usual fights that are dropped the next day but an actual falling-out. Michael was on Lucifer’s side obviously and he asked me to let it go, but I couldn’t.” Gabriel closed his eyes and took a shaking breath. “Not after what happened with Misha. The night after the wedding ceremony I was lying awake in bed feeling like a complete failure. I’m Misha’s big brother, I was supposed to protect him and I could only think about him getting mated against his will. I promised myself I’d try to be a more responsible brother then, even if it was too late for him.”

His confession shocked every one of them into silence and Sam backed away finally. Misha crossed the room and pulled his brother into his arms. “You are not a failure, Gabe! You are the best big brother I could have asked for.”

Gabriel shook his head in denial, but he sagged against Misha nevertheless. “Dad taught me to treat you like an equal and ignore that whole Omega stuff, but I still let them sell you off. I didn’t say anything to stop them, I kept quiet. That makes me as guilty as Michael.”

It was unsettling seeing their cheerful brother like that and Castiel took a hesitant step towards him, waiting until Misha had let him go before placing his hand on the Beta’s shoulder comfortingly. “What happened after the fight?”

It was obvious he had asked the wrong thing. Gabriel’s breathing sped up and his gaze flickered through the room as though he wasn’t sure whom to address. “Gabe?” Castiel asked concerned.

The Beta appeared to be close to panicking. “I can’t…This shouldn’t…it’s nothing…I-“

“Gabriel!” Dean interrupted his babbling and everybody in the room jumped at the tone of his voice. It wasn't the feared Alpha voice but close enough. Dean stepped behind Castiel, but the Omega could feel that his eyes were on Gabriel. “What’s been upsetting you?”

The Beta’s eyes focused on Dean and the tension left his body. “They want to arrange a marriage for Castiel.”

Castiel felt like he had been slapped. His hand dropped from Gabriel’s shoulder and his sight blurred. He was going to be mated to an Alpha. 

“Cas?” he heard Jensen ask from behind, but he didn’t care.

He willed his voice to form words. “Who is it?”

“Abbadon.”

That name rang in Castiel’s head like a bell and he wasn’t aware of his knees giving out under him until he felt arms come around his body to catch him. He knew he was hyperventilating, his senses going crazy and the touch felt almost suffocating. Then his sense of smell belatedly kicked in again and his nose filled with  _Alpha._ He screeched and began to trash hard, hitting the tall form crouching beside him. He heard several voices shout his name, but he blanked them out, punching against the Alpha with his fists so hard it hurt.

To his horror the Alpha didn’t back away, but leaned forward and pulled Castiel closer. He screamed against the warm body, his fists connecting with the Alpha’s face. A warm sustenance dropped to his arm and he finally froze when he realized it was the Alpha’s blood. He had actually  _hurt_ an Alpha.

“I’m sorry, please, don’t-”

He shrieked when the Alpha buried his face in his neck and there was a tongue lapping at his pulse point as though  _he_ was the one being hurt. 

“Cas, please calm down. It’s me!”

It was Dean’s voice finally breaking through the whirlwind in his mind and only then did he recognize the scent around him.

“Dean?”

“Yeah, it’s me.” Dean lapped at his throat again and Castiel closed his eyes at how good it felt. But then he smelled the blood again and he remembered that he had hurt Dean. His eyes snapped open and he turned his head to get a look at the Alpha. He gasped when he saw the large streaks of blood leaking from Dean’s nose. “Dean, I’m so sorry! I never meant for this to happen.”

Dean chuckled softly. “Believe me, I’ve been beat up worse. I’m just glad you’re yourself again. You scared the hell out of me.”

“All of us actually,” Misha corrected and Castiel blinked when he was reminded that they weren’t alone.

His wolf felt like curling himself into a small ball for hurting Dean and he carefully cradled the Alpha’s face in his hands to wipe most of the blood away.

“No need to make a fuss, I’m okay,” Dean complained, but he didn’t turn away from the touch. “Are _you_ alright again, Cas?”

The Omega tried to force a smile onto his features. “Yeah, just a little panic attack.”

Dean didn’t look convinced, but let it drop nevertheless. “It’s going to be fine, Cas. You’re under my protection now. I won’t let them sell you off.”

His arms wrapped around the Omega again and this time Castiel allowed it.

“You don’t know Abbadon, Dean. She always gets what she wants. I’ll be no exception.”

The Alpha growled and Castiel buried his head deeper in the other man’s shirt. “Just watch me! I won’t let them take you away from me, I promise.”

Castiel wanted to believe him, he truly did. But he knew better. Pushing the thoughts of his marriage away, he just let himself be held.

After a few minutes of silence someone coughed awkwardly behind them.

“I really don’t want to intrude on this heart-wrenching moment, but could anybody tell me where I could stay the night?”

Castiel opened his eyes and looked over Dean’s shoulder to Gabriel who was scratching his head impatiently.

“What do you mean?” Misha asked.

“Well, I obviously can’t go back to Michael and Lucifer after all the things I hurled at them. I hate to ask, but I thought maybe I could stay the night here? I’ll try calling Balthazar in the morning. Maybe the Shurleys will give me shelter until this shitstorm has calmed down.”

As soon as he had finished, Sam had put his hand on Gabriel’s shoulder. “You can stay with us as long as you need to.” Gabriel tried to smirk, but for once it came across as more of a real smile.

Dean rose from the floor, one arm still around Castiel to pull him up as well. The Alpha turned to Gabriel without letting go of the Omega in his arm. “Thank you, Gabriel, for all the trouble you had to get through. I won’t forget that. Of course you can stay here. I’ll tell my Dad so he’s prepared to dodge any questions about your whereabouts.”

Gabriel nodded. “Thanks, Dean-o. I have to admit, for an Alpha you’re not so bad.” His eyes trailed down over Dean’s form and he winked playfully.

Castiel felt rather than heard Dean’s amused chuckle.

“Sorry, man, I’m married.”

“What a pity. Although you can’t be that good in bed if Misha slept through the wedding night without getting marked.” Misha and Castiel groaned while the Winchesters started laughing.

Gabriel shrugged. “Seriously though, I need some place to crash for a few nights. So if you have a spare bed, good, if not even better.” Castiel was sure the others were as confused as him by that comment, but Gabriel’s grin grew only wider. “Well, I wouldn’t mind sleeping in Sam’s bed for a few nights.”

Castiel wondered how he could still feel second-hand embarrassment after so many years of living with Gabriel. Apparently one was never immune to it.

Sam choked and his face grew red as he stared pleadingly at Dean for help.

The Alpha was apparently trying hard to contain his laughter. “I can imagine you would love to, but I don’t trust you to keep your paws off my brother, so no. Fortunately we have a spare room you can take.”

“You are no fun,” Gabriel complained before turning to the front door to get his stuff.

“I’ll help him,” Sam told Dean before hurrying to follow the Beta outside.

Misha turned to Dean with a small smile. “Thank you for letting our brother stay. Gabriel wouldn’t ask anyone for help if he had another choice.”

“I know. I should probably call Dad right now and explain it to him.”

Jensen gave his brother a sympathetic smile. “Good luck with that.”

 

-0-

 

When he wasn’t cracking jokes on everybody else’s expenses, Jensen had to admit that Gabriel actually was an enjoyable human being. Since John feared he might be a spy and outright refused to let him participate in any clan business or even let him leave the house without a bodyguard, he was practically forced to stay in the house for the whole weekend. He didn’t complain about the restrictions and didn’t mind helping in the kitchen or doing laundry. When Monday came around though, Jensen watched the Beta enter the kitchen with his stuff packed and an anxious look in his eyes.

“What’s up with you?” Jensen asked and the others turned to look at Gabriel as well.

“I tried to call Raphael several times yesterday, but it went straight to voice mail. And a few minutes ago Balthazar called me and after I told him what happened he just said he would come pick me up today.”

“He’s coming here?” Dean asked skeptically.

“He wouldn’t go into detail, but he said they’re having an emergency. Whatever that means. He just said he’s gonna call the surrounding pack leaders and then he hung up before I could even respond.” Gabriel turned to Dean. “I’ve never heard his voice sounding that serious.”

Jensen shot his older brother an alarmed look. “Why would they call all pack leaders? Do they think we kidnapped Gabriel?”

“Maybe.” Dean replied. “The Shurleys and Novaks are related after all and since rumor has it that Raphael wants to warm up to Michael, they could be biased.”

Misha leaned back against the counter. “Balthazar is not the type who jumps to conclusions that easily.”

Gabriel coughed. “To be honest, I'm not sure if all this fuss even was about me. Balthazar was nervous from the beginning, but he sounded surprised when I told him I had run away.”

Sam frowned. “What's wrong then?”

Castiel shook his head. “Whatever it is, it must be really serious. There aren't many things that could upset Balthazar.”

That moment Dean's phone rang. “It's Dad, so I guess we're gonna find out.” He picked up and the others turned silent immediately. “Hey, Dad. What's up?”

The call was short and Dean's face gave nothing away that could give Jensen a hint what he was thinking. “Sure, we'll be here. Jensen will tell Bobby that I can't come to work today. I'll see you in 30 minutes.” He hung up and he turned to Jensen. “Dad has no idea what's going on as well. Apparently Raphael and Balthazar wanted permission to cross our territory and follow along the border to the Marsters territory and we'll meet up with them there.”

Jensen swallowed as he realized what that meant. “So they seriously called all surrounding clans? I mean the border to the Marsters is the ideal point for a grand meeting. It's possible that even the Novaks are gonna be there.”

Dean nodded. “Yeah, I know. Anyway you guys should go now. I'll deal with this. Misha, Gabriel, you two stay here.”

Then the Alpha was out of the door before anyone could have stopped him. Jensen turned to Sam. “Hey, Sammy, could you and Cas drop me off at Bobby's? Since Dean's gonna be driving into the other direction.”

“Sure.” Sam told him and motioned for the two Omegas to follow him.

When Jensen arrived ten minutes later, Bobby was more grumpy than usual when he heard why Dean wasn't coming to work. He assigned Benny to help Jensen with the things Dean and he usually did together, but Jensen knew Bobby well enough to see through the facade. He was worried. 

Benny gave him the screw driver before tentatively speaking his mind. “You're awfully distracted, Jensen.”

“I know.” He bit his lip at how defensive he sounded.

“Stop worrying about the Chief. It's probably nothing major. Maybe the Shurleys want a bigger territory. They were always quite keen on getting the high hills behind your house.” His smile was reassuring and gentle, typically Benny. 

“I'm sorry, but I just can't help it. I need to be there with him.”

He jumped when Benny grabbed his sleeve to keep him in place. “Listen Jensen, Dean is not an impulsive teenage Alpha anymore. He doesn't need your presence to ground him. I'm not saying that to make you feel bad, I'm saying it because you need to have more trust in him. Besides, if he really needed an Omega, he would have taken Misha with him.”

Jensen tried not to flinch at the last words. “I know, Benny, okay? Dean has sacrificed so much recently to do what's right. I just want to be there for him and help him carry the weight on his shoulders.”

“Now you're starting to sound like Dean. It's fine, okay? As long as you understand that there will be a few things you need to let him carry alone.”

With that Benny let it go and Jensen wasn't even sure what the Beta's point had been. 

Time passed slowly and when Bobby finally let him leave, he felt itchy with his wolf barely under the surface. Instead of calling up Sam to pick him up, he decided to run home. It would take a while, but Jensen needed to get rid of some energy badly. He followed the main road out of Willowdale until he reached the woods before letting his wolf take over and disappearing in the wilderness. 

The smells of earth and leaves were like a balm for his senses and he sped up. He didn’t care that he scared a rabbit away or that a fox he had passed, was trying to follow him, but gave up after a few minutes. Usually Jensen didn’t mind helping the foxes with their hunting - it took his mind off human things for a while – but today he was too riled up to be of any use for that. 

He stopped as soon as he was deep enough into the forest to feel soft moss under his feet. After a moment of hesitating he laid down and hummed contently at the strong scent filling his nose. He closed his eyes and let drowsiness overcome him. His wolf was content laying on the ground and letting the familiar smells of the forest calm him down.

After a few minutes, maybe even longer Jensen tried to nudge his wolf to get up again when suddenly there was a hand at his throat and a relieved voice talking to him. “Man, you gave me a scare.”

Jensen’s heart hammered in his chest when he opened his eyes and saw Dean leaning over him. “What the hell, Dean?”

The Alpha smiled. “Sorry for the assault. I was searching the woods when I smelt you. Then I came here and you weren’t moving.” He averted his gaze and swallowed hard.

Jensen’s eyes widened. “You thought I was dead?”

“I’m a fool, I know. There’s no blood or anything else that indicated you are hurt, but I didn’t think straight.”

“It’s okay, you were worried. But it would be great if you could announce your presence next time. In case you haven’t noticed, your smell kind of matches our surroundings, so I didn't even register your presence until you touched me.”

Dean grinned. “Yeah, I know. Like I said, I wasn’t thinking straight.”

Jensen got up from the ground and only now noticed the nervous vibes his brother was giving off. “Dean? What’s wrong?”

The smile faded and Dean’s eyes hardened. “I’ll tell you when we’re back at the house. I think it might be relevant for all of us.”

To Jensen’s surprise the Alpha began running east and Jensen could only try to follow, wondering why Dean wasn’t heading for their house.

By the time they had reached the Roadhouse, Jensen had caught the traces of many clan members including those of Sam, Castiel, Misha and Gabriel. The others were already inside and talking animatedly, only John was waiting for them outside.

“Dean, Jensen, finally.”

John’s face was neutral, but Jensen could still feel the anxiousness rolling off him. He didn’t ask his father about it, but let Dean guide him inside. Sam waved him over immediately and Jensen slipped on the free seat next to Gabriel. Dean was casually leaning at the bar, his arms crossed and watching John.

The noise quieted down within seconds and all heads turned to the pack leader.

“I guess you’re all wondering why I asked you to come here. Most of you know by now that Dean and I had a meeting with the surrounding pack leaders.” The humans were the only ones surprised by that, but they let John continue. “I was expecting there would be some disagreements about Gabriel Novak seeking temporary shelter in our territory.”

All heads turned to Gabriel who gave them a tight smile. Jensen noticed Castiel reaching out and squeezing the Beta’s hand comfortingly while Sam tensed. Whether that was because of the touching or John’s words, wasn’t clear.

John coughed and all eyes turned back to him. “But I was wrong. Raphael informed us that one of his Omegas has gone missing.” Jensen inhaled sharply and he was sure he wasn’t the only one. “The Shurleys believe his disappearance might be connected to the dead Omega Jensen found in the Marsters territory a few weeks ago.”

A murmur went through the crowd until Benny spoke up. “So is there a serial killer out there or what?”

John shook his head. “We have no proof that this Omega is dead as well.”

Jensen’s eyes narrowed. “We also don’t have proof that he isn’t.” John turned to him with a warning glint in his eyes and Jensen knew his father was asking him not to agitate the others further. Jensen felt a familiar tingle in his neck, urging him to drop his head at the Alpha’s stare, but he fought it.

Fortunately it was Dean who backed him up. “We shouldn’t dismiss the idea, Dad.”

John sighed. “Perhaps we shouldn’t. But Raphael or rather Balthazar asked us for help in finding the Omega. So if any of you know something or notice something unusual, please tell me.”

Dean straightened. “And I would also recommend that our Omegas shouldn’t walk around alone until this is settled.” Affirmative nods followed his suggestion, but Dean wasn’t finished. “I also think it would be a good idea if those with the best noses would team up and try searching the territory for the Omega.”

John growled. “I already told Balthazar we won’t be doing that. Like Alastair said, it’s too dangerous if there’s truly somebody out there murdering weres.”

Dean’s eyes lit up with anger and he crossed his arms. “And I already said we would be making teams, not a one-man-mission. That Omega might still be alive. We can’t just sit here and do nothing!”

“I won’t put someone of my clan at risk just for Raphael’s Omega!” John snarled.

It was silent in the room. If anybody interrupted that fight, it might end bloody.

Dean took a deep breath. “Fine. Then I’ll go alone.”

John’s eyes widened in shock before narrowing in anger. “You will do no such thing!”

“I could be saving a life – “

John growled again and his eyes turned Alpha red, his voice booming of a pack leader’s command that allowed no objection. “You will not put yourself in danger by undertaking this suicide mission!”

Dean tried to fight it, Jensen could see it in the violent trembling of his limbs, but there was a reason why the pack leader’s ‘true voice’ was universally feared. There was no way around it.

Dean’s knees buckled and his head dropped, forcing the Alpha in a submissive position that looked entirely foreign on him. Jensen heard a sympathetic whine next to him and saw Castiel with his eyes trained on Dean. Otherwise it was silent for a few moments until John turned away from him and his eyes returned to their usual color. Dean slumped to the floor and the rest of the clan was up in an instant. Sam and Misha were the fastest to reach Dean and they pulled him up by the arms. To everyone’s surprise it was the always so silent Castiel who was tackling Dean.

“What the hell were you thinking? Going up against your clan leader like that. I know you’re stubborn, but this was ridiculous. You could have hurt your wolf with that stunt.”

Castiel was glaring at Dean furiously and didn’t seem to care about the looks he was getting from the others. Jensen wasn’t sure what he expected, because even though Dean was usually fast to talk back, he seemed to have a soft spot for Castiel. He wasn’t surprised when Dean shut his mouth firmly and averted his eyes.

Castiel’s eyes flitted to Misha’s and Jensen was sure there was a silent conversation passing between them. 

Misha turned to Dean. “We should head home.”

Dean opened his mouth to protest, but Jensen nudged him hard with his elbow to silence him. As soon as they were all out of the door, Dean wrestled himself free from their grips.

“We can’t just sit here and do nothing!”

“You’re right” Castiel replied calmly. “But your pack leader was clear on that, he won’t take his command back. But he only forbade _you_ to go searching for the Omega, right?” 

Dean frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Omegas have the best sense of smell and John never outright said anything about us not searching for the missing Omega.”

Jensen raised his eye brows. “You’re right. So the three of us could go and try finding the trace.”

Dean shook his head. “We’re talking about a serial killer who seems to have a thing for guys like you. I won’t let you search for him without some back-up.”

“Who said they will go without back-up?” Sam announced from behind.

Jensen, Misha and Castiel turned to him in surprise.

“You’ll be going with them?” Dean asked.

“Dad forbade you to, but they obviously can’t go alone. So if we don't want to let anybody else in on this plan, that leaves only Gabriel and me.”

Dean didn’t look pleased by the suggestion, but then Gabriel slung his arm around Sam’s shoulders. “Come on, Dean-o! Somebody needs to save my cousin.”

“Your cousin?” Dean and Sam asked in unison.

“The Shurleys have only one Omega, Balthazar’s younger brother Samandriel.”

Jensen swallowed hard. “Oh my God! I can’t imagine what Balthazar must go through right now.”

“Fine” Dean eventually relented and looked at Jensen and Misha. “If Sam and Gabriel are coming with you, I’ll let you go.”

“Great!” Gabriel exclaimed smugly. “One last adventure with Sammy before I leave.”

Sam rolled his eyes. “Only my brothers are allowed to call me that. It’s Sam for you.”

Gabriel raised his hands dramatically. “Don’t be a dick, Sammy! Today might be the last time we see each other for a very long time; after all I'll move to the Shurleys as soon as this is over.”

Jensen was surprised by the hint of guilt crossing his younger brother’s face. “Fine.”

He could have sworn the smile on Gabriel’s face softened.

Misha turned back to Dean. “Your father’s going to be pissed when he finds out about this.”

“I know. But it’s still the right thing to do. Just keep me posted.” Then Dean leaned forward and kissed Misha. It was just a few seconds, but by the end of it Jensen had to fist his hands hard to keep himself from lunging at his brother.

When Dean pulled back, his eyes landed on Sam. „Raphael told us they traced Samandriel's scent up to the road that separates our territories.“

„I guess you guys checked it out immediately, right?” Sam replied.

Dean nodded. „Yes, but we weren't able to pick up the Omega's scent on our side.“

Jensen had already feared that. „So he must have entered a car there. That's why John and the others are in the dark about where to start looking.“ “You're right. Your only shot is to start from that spot and follow the road. If we're lucky, the kidnappers didn't drive far and you can pick up Samandriel's scent again.“

Jensen nodded.“Got it. Now go back to the others or Dad will get suspicious.“

Dean turned away from them and joined Bobby and Benny on the porch of the roadhouse.

Jensen turned to Sam. “Alright, I will lead the way, my nose is better than yours. You and Gabriel watch out for possible dangers.”

Both Betas consented and immediately Jensen took off towards the Shurleys' territory, the others on his heels.

It took them barely twenty minutes to reach the road that served as their border and Jensen took note of Dean's and John's fading smells. He followed them north until they were suddenly joined by those of Raphael and Balthazar. Soon after others scent mingled in as well, indicating they had reached their first destination.

Jensen turned to Castiel and Misha. “Now it's up to you to filter your cousin out. I have never met him, so I won't be of much help here.”

The twins obeyed and immediately and crouched down, trying to block out the scents of the pack leaders. After two minutes Misha inhaled sharply. “I got it.”

Castiel and Gabriel joined him while Sam and Jensen waited. When they had finished, Sam coughed. “If I understood this right, we have no idea which direction the car took. So we have to split up.”

Gabriel nodded. “You're right. Castiel and I will go further north, you guys go south. If none of us have found anything by dawn, we'll have to let it go for the time being.”

They all agreed and parted ways. Jensen let Misha lead the way as they walked back to where they had come from. The sun had already set and darkness was setting in. By the time it was utterly dark, Misha had sped up notably and he was visibly nervous. Jensen couldn't blame him. In a few hours they would have to give up and any chance that they might find Samandriel alive, would be gone.

After what must have been five hours at least, they were so far away from their territory that Jensen had no idea where they were. He turned to his brother. “Where are we?”

“I'm not sure,” Sam responded quietly. “Dad once said that this road leads to unclaimed land.”

Jensen exhaled relieved. “So there's no clan living here, only humans? And here I was looking out for any patrols that might find us.”

Before Sam could respond, Misha stopped so fast that Jensen almost ran into his back.

“I've got it!” Misha exclaimed excited, his voice trembling slightly.

Jensen took a deep breath through his mouth and realized Misha was right when a sweet fragrance filled his mouth. An Omega. But there were other scents mingled with it, three or four humans apparently.

Misha took off into the woods immediately and Jensen followed him instantly. He let his nose guide him, knowing that Sam was right behind to protect them from any danger they might overlook in their haste.

Seconds later both Omegas came face to face with a large abandoned building. It must have been a factory decades ago, now it was a ruin. The windows were shattered, plants were growing up the walls and there was a large hole in the roof. 

Jensen inhaled deeply again. “No fresh traces around here, so nobody has entered or left this house for at least a day.”

Despite his earlier rushing, Misha seemed now insecure as they approached the huge front door. As if he was afraid of what he might find in there. Sam seemed to notice it as well. “He could still be alive. Maybe his kidnappers are just keeping him a prisoner for now.”

“Let's hope you're right,” Misha whispered.

He extended his hand and opened the door slowly. 

Jensen grimaced when the sweet Omega scent hit him full force and he realized it was much  _too_ intense. The guy must be bleeding pretty bad.

The building was empty save for a few rusty machines and shelves. It smelled rotten underneath the prominent Omega scent.

“Samandriel?” Misha shouted but it sounded small.

There was no response.

When Jensen realized that Misha had no intention of moving as though he was lacking the courage to face this situation any longer, he followed the scent himself. Jensen walked into the back of the hall where he reached a closed door which read  _EMPLOYEES ONLY_ in fading yellow letters.

As soon as he entered the small room, he found what they had been looking for.

On the large desk lay a body, stark naked and covered in bruises.

Jensen stumbled forward and gripped the body to turn it around even though he knew there was no hope. He had to keep the bile down at the stench of blood and death lingering in the air.

A touch of his fingers to the boy's pulse point confirmed Jensen's fear.

Samandriel was dead.

“Guys, I've found him,” he shouted and he could hear both Misha and Sam jumping into action. Seconds later they appeared in the doorway.

Jensen had anticipated Misha's reaction to seeing his dead cousin, but the high-pitched scream still scared the crap out of him. A moment later Misha's knees gave out and he slid to the ground, vomiting violently. Sam was at his side in an instant, his hand on Misha's back to soothe him.

It was a heartbreaking sight.

Slowly Jensen stepped closer, not knowing how to help Misha. In the end he at down at Misha's other side and gripped the back of his neck softly, his thumb padding the sensitive spot.

Misha gave in immediately and let himself be pulled to Jensen's chest.

None of them spoke because there were no words that could take the pain away.

After half an hour where the only sounds filling the silence were Misha's sobs, Sam got back onto his feet and pulled out his phone. Jensen heard Dean's worried voice picking up after the second ring.

“ _Sam, what is it? Are you okay?!_ ”

Sam closed his eyes. “We've found him. He's dead.”

There was silence at the end of the line, then Dean replied.  _“Stay where you are. I'll inform the clan leaders, then we'll come to you.”_

“Okay, but can you call Gabriel as well? I don't know how to break it to him.”

“ _Of course. I'll do that and then I'll you back as soon as Raphael and Balthazar are here. You can give me your exact location then.”_

Dean ended the call and Sam turned back to Jensen and Misha. “I'll go back outside and wait for them at the street. It'll be easier for them to find us.”

Jensen nodded and watched his little brother leave. He looked back at Misha. “You should be getting some fresh air as well.”

Misha shook his head. “No, I can't leave him now. I need to stay.”

Jensen understood. Misha needed to process Samandriel's death properly. So he only tightened his grip around Misha, hoping his presence did at least something to help Misha through this.

It felt like an eternity had passed until Sam came back, this time with Dean, John, Raphael and Balthazar right behind him. All of them froze at the sight of the dead body in the middle of the room. Jensen winced in sympathy when the shocked expression in Balthazar's eyes turned to grief and a wail of pain escaped his throat. Raphael's face turned to rage instead before he stepped closer. “Whoever did this will pay for this. We will make him suffer.”

John nodded before taking in the state of the body more closely.

Jensen's attention shifted to Dean though. As their second-in-command he was supposed to stay with their leaders, consulting John at the very least. But instead Dean walked up to Balthazar and pulled him into a tight embrace. As though the Beta had been set free, he finally allowed himself to cry.

That's how Gabriel and Castiel found them when they appeared minutes later with Michael and Lucifer close behind. From this moment on the situation turned into chaos as Sam tried to calm the former two while the latter joined John and Raphael after they had overcome their shock.

It was undoubtedly the worst night Jensen had ever had, not only because of Samandriel's death but the grief of Misha, Balthazar, Gabriel and Castiel poisoning his mind. His Omega senses wanted to help them all, hold them in his arms and take all of it away, but he was too overwhelmed by it all to be of much help. In the end he was completely exhausted when Dean finally announced he would take them home.

Dean was driving with with Sam sitting quietly in the passenger' seat and the three Omegas in the back. John had decided to stay back with the Novaks and Shurleys to discuss how the clans should proceed now that they had to acknowledge there was a serial killer out there.

Jensen didn't care for what they came up with as long as it kept them safe. His arm was slung around Misha who had fallen asleep on his shoulder and his hand was stroking over Castiel's neck to soothe him.

Castiel was looking out of the window, his gaze far away in the distance, but he leaned into Jensen's touch slightly.

No one spoke a word until they had returned to Dean's and Misha's house.

Sam turned to Dean. “If you guys don't mind, I'd like to stay the night. I don't feel like being alone tonight.”

“Yeah, of course, no problem,” Dean responded with a reassuring pat to his brother's arm.

They exited the Impala and a moment later, Sam tried to disentangle Misha from Jensen who batted his hand away. “Don't wake him, please.”

Sam nodded and waited while Jensen carefully rearranged Misha until he could carry him in his arms. Misha didn't even stir.

Jensen eyed Castiel on the other side of the car carefully. Dean was hovering at his side, obviously at a loss of what to do.

“I'm fine” Castiel told him, but it sounded hollow.

He tried following Jensen, Misha and Sam to the house, but Dean caught his wrist instantly. “Cas, it's alright to admit how much this hurts. You just lost your cousin. No one expects you to brush this off lightly.”

Castiel finally looked up into Dean's eyes. “What are you trying to say with that, Dean?”

“I'm trying to tell you that it is okay to feel. Don't attempt to bury all that pain underneath a facade. You're an Omega, Cas, so I know that this stuff hits you hard. Let me help you deal with it.”

For a moment Jensen was sure Castiel would give in under the heavy weight of Dean's gaze, but to his surprise Castiel took a step back, thereby freeing his wrist from Dean's grasp. His voice had suddenly turned cold. “You are not my mate, Dean. You have no right to demand this kind of trust from me.”

Those words hit Dean like a slap to the face. Hurt crossed his features as Castiel turned away from him and swept past Jensen and Misha to follow Sam into the house.

Jensen contemplated approaching Dean, but the Alpha closed his eyes for a moment and when they opened again, they were devoid of emotions. He walked up to Jensen. “Let me bring my mate to bed.” His voice was bitter and dark, something that reminded Jensen too much of their father.

Nevertheless he carefully passed Misha's still sleeping form into Dean's arms and watched his brother walking into the house.

When he eventually followed Dean, everyone was sitting on the couch in awkward silence and Misha stirred in Dean's arms. He slowly blinked his eyes open. “We're home?”

Dean gave him a smile. “Yes. You guys should all go to sleep now, get some rest.”

Misha nodded and shuffled closer to the back of the couch to make some space. When he lifted one of his arms, Dean crawled into the embrace like an animal seeking shelter.

Jensen felt awful for the sharp sting in his chest, this was not about any kind of intimacy after all. He tried turning away when he noticed Castiel eyeing Dean and Misha with a dark look in his eyes. He wondered if Castiel was worried about Dean taking advantage of the situation. Before he could decide, Misha pushed lightly at Dean's chest to let him sit up.

“Where are you two going?”

Jensen looked at Misha confused. Those azure eyes raked over Castiel before settling on Jensen. “Come here.”

Trying to understand what Misha's intentions were, Jensen walked closer until he was right next to the couch. Misha held out his hand expectantly. With a nervous glance at Dean Jensen took it and allowed Misha to pull him forward. He landed half on top of Misha with Dean pressed up beside him. The Alpha didn't seem to mind though. His eyes were still on Misha, a fond smile on his lips as he took in the situation.

Jensen turned to Misha. “What are you-”

He broke off when Misha pulled Jensen's head down onto his chest. 

“We need each other. All of us.”

Jensen felt his body relax at the strong scent of watermelon and cinnamon underneath him. Misha turned his head to the side while his fingers carded softly though Jensen's hair.

“Castiel?”

Jensen felt Dean stiffen beside him, obviously steeling himself for another rejection. But Jensen heard footsteps approaching them slowly and Castiel came into view. His eyes were trained on Dean, guarded, the conversation from before still fresh in his mind.

Dean shifted so he wasn't laying right next to Jensen on top of Misha, but nuzzling his husband's side instead. When he looked up at Castiel, Jensen could see nothing Alpha like in his eyes. “Please, Cas, I need you.”

Those words seemed to break through Castiel's wall. He walked closer and let himself fall on top of Dean and immediately the strange tension in the room faded. Jensen felt overwhelmed at the cinnamon and moss beneath him and the ozone next to him. He let his head loll back onto Misha's chest while his arm snaked around Castiel to pull him closer. There was nothing intimate about it, just a few weres seeking comfort in each other.

Sam coughed from the side. “Maybe I should head home.”

Dean chuckled and it sent tangible vibrations through the others' bodies. “Don't be an idiot and come here, Sammy.”

“Dude, I'm not going to cuddle you.”

Instead of an answer Dean lifted his arm. After a moment of silence Sam sighed and alined his body to Dean's at the edge of the couch.

Sam closed his eyes and buried his nose in Dean's hair. “Jerk.”

Jensen could feel Dean smiling broadly when the Alpha answered. “Bitch.”

They all fell into a deep and peaceful slumber right after that.

 

-0-

The next day Dean awoke better rested than he could have ever imagined. They all had moved in their sleep without awakening, so he was surprised to find himself sprawled on top of Castiel and Jensen. And he was obviously not the only one not asleep anymore. He turned his head to find Sam watching him curiously. The Beta had his arms still around Dean, but was now lying over Jensen's legs.

“Morning, Dean.”

Dean grinned. “Jesus, what a fucked up situation this is.”

They both chuckled before finally pulling themselves up to prepare breakfast – or rater lunch according to the clock. While cutting the tomatoes, Dean glanced back to the three Omegas on the couch. Jensen had unconsciously adjusted his position to now lie protectively over Castiel and Misha. “They seem to need this close contact even more than we do.”

“They're Omegas. It's part of their nature to be more attuned to emotions, be it those of others or their own.”

Dean knew Sam was right. But he still couldn't help wondering if he was doing the right thing here, taking two unmated Omegas into his house that had to see Misha's misery every day.

Sam seemed to sense something was up. “What's wrong?”

“Nothing. It's just-, I've already ruined Misha's life. I want to keep Jensen and Castiel from that fate, but I'm not sure I can.”

He resumed his task of cutting tomatoes, but Sam turned towards him. “No, Dean, don't blame yourself for what John and Michael did. This isn't your fault.”

Dean chuckled half-heartedly. “Maybe not. But I'll be damned if I let something like this happen again. Not in my clan. Never again.” His hand had turned into a fist at the thought.

Sam's voice softened. “This is about Castiel, right? About him getting married.”

Dean's eyes narrowed. “He can't marry that Alpha bitch. I won't allow it.”

After a moment of silence Sam gripped his shoulder gently. “Listen, if this was Jensen, things would be different. But Castiel is still a Novak. How you feel about this marriage won't matter to Michael or Lucifer.”

“I know” Dean admitted and it sounded defeated.

Both brothers jumped when the doorbell rang. Dean rushed to the door, even though the Omegas were already awakening.

When he opened the door, he came face to face with Gabriel.

“Hey, Dean-o.” It sounded strained and Dean felt sympathy welling up inside of him for the older man. He stepped aside to let the Beta in.

“Hey, guys, sorry for waking you up!” Gabriel shouted into the living room before walking up the stairs to his spare room. Dean and Sam followed him.

Gabriel took the still packed bag with his stuff from the bed before turning towards them. “Raphael is on his way to the Marsters. He will ask them for free passage for all Clans and their assistance until that monster is found. Afterwards he will probably contact the clan of the first victim, Jessica Moore.”

Sam shook his head. “What does he hope to achieve with that?”

“He wants all clans to play with open hands and make sure that guy is not hiding in one of our territories, playing the innocent lamb.”

The brothers nodded before following Gabriel back to the door where they saw a large beige car and another Beta waiting patiently. It was Balthazar.

Gabriel thre his bag onto the backseat before turning back to Sam, Dean and the Omegas right behind them.

“Listen, Dean. I want to thank you for allowing me to stay. You didn't have to do that and trust me, I won't forget it.”

Dean smiled at him. “It was no problem. You just watch out for yourself.”

Gabriel grinned, but it turned forced when another car pulled up at the druveway. “Speaking of looking out.”

Dean turned and saw Michael, Lucifer and John exit the car. Both Novaks gave Dean a long look before turning to Gabriel.

The Beta had his fake cheerful smile back on. “Nice to see you again, Bros. If you're here to drag me back to our house, I have to decline.”

Michael's eyes were cold when they met Gabriel's. “We're not here for you. You made your position perfectly clear the last time. If you change your mind and apologize for your behavior we will welcome you back with open arms. But until then, you're not one of us any longer.”

The words hit Gabriel hard, Dean could see it in the way his grin faltered and his eyes widened. He might have expected that he couldn't return to his home for a while, but to have it thrown into his face was something else.

For the first time Balthazar moved. He put his arm around Gabriel's shoulder before giving Michael a cool smile. “You're right. He is one of us from now on.”

Dean had trouble to not applaud Balthazar for that gesture.

Michael turned from the two Betas to Dean. “Actually we're here for you.”

Dean's eyes narrowed. “Me? I'm afraid I don't understand.”

Michael took a step closer and with a quick movement he pulled Dean's collar down. “Explain this. Now.”

Dean swallowed when he remembered he initial problem of meeting the Novaks again. In his shock over Samandriel's murder he had forgot for a moment that they were going to notice he hadn't mated with Misha.

Dean pushed Michael's hand away before lowering himself into a defensive stance. “Sam, bring the Omegas into the house.”

The Beta obeyed without hesitation despite all of their protests.

Lucifer took Michael's side. “So Misha doesn't have a claiming bite either. Tell us, Dean, what were your intentions in marrying Misha?”

Dean growled warningly. “This is none of your business, Misha belongs to us now!”

That seemed to rile up Michael even more. “You take our two only Omegas away and don't even intend to keep your end of the bargain? How dare you speak to us like that!”

Without warning both Alphas lunged forward, but Dean had anticipated this. He jumped to the side, ready to counter the attack, but something hit him from the side and threw him to the ground. He bared his teeth in anger, but to his surprise it was his father holding him down. The Alpha's eyes were on Michael though. “Listen, Michael. I know my son made a mistake. But we shouldn't jeopardize the relationship between our whole clans just because of the insecurities of one man.”

Michael looked between John and Dean. “This union has to be consummated.”

“I agree” John assured him calmly.

“Now!” Michael snapped impatiently.

John raised one of his hands in a placating manner. “I know that. And I will make sure Dean understands this as well.”

Dean bit his lip to keep quiet and not aggravate the situation further.

Michael stared angrily at John for a whole minute before he finally dropped his shoulders. “Fine. Talk with your boy. We’ll visit you in three days again.”

With a last scowl at Dean Michael walked past them, Lucifer right on his heels.

Dean stared after them as they entered the car and drove away, then he looked up at his father warily. “Dad, I told you I won’t force Misha into anything. I still stand by that.”

John backed enough to let Dean stand up, but his eyes were colder than usual. “Balthazar, Gabriel, I need to talk to my son alone. I think it would be best for you to leave now.”

Both Betas jumped in surprise and Dean could see them fidgeting nervously, trying to come up with a reason to stay and possibly take Dean’s side. But when John turned his head towards them with a warning sneer, they obeyed and left with Balthazar’s car. It was only John and Dean now.

“Dean, I’ve been tolerant about this matter for far too long now. I thought it was better to let you make your own decisions, but my hands are tied. This alliance between the Novaks and us is too important to let you and Misha get away with this childish behavior.”

Dean opened his mouth to protest when suddenly John’s eyes lit up red. It felt like he had lost the reigns to his body. His mouth snapped shut and his body froze without him being conscious of it. He could not even avert his eyes to break free from his pack leader’s gaze.

“You will walk into that house now and claim Misha like you should have weeks ago. You will mark him as yours and make him do the same, no matter how much he tries to prevent it.”

Dean’s body turned to the house and began walking towards it, the need to obey his pack leader clouding over Dean’s conscious like a fog. He panicked as he tried to stop, but Dean was imprisoned in his own mind, his wolf having taken the reigns, but unable to make a coherent thought besides obeying the Alpha’s command. It was worse than being drugged.

He walked through the door and ignored when a large Beta tried to question him. It was Sam, Dean’s human side realized and he prayed to God or whoever could hear him that his brother would know what was going on, that he would somehow manage to stop him.

His eyes settled on the tree Omegas in the living room, all of them realizing in a heartbeat that something was off.

Dean would have felt proud if he could when Jensen placed himself in front of Misha immediately. “Misha, get out of here!”

Dean’s eyes settled on Misha who was fleeing in the only direction he could, upstairs. Dean’s wolf automatically moved to follow, but thankfully Jensen gave a low growl. But Dean should have known a leader’s command couldn’t be broken that easily. To his own shock he lunged forward at his brother. Jensen yelped in pain when his back hit the edge of the stairs behind him. Before Dean’s human mind had even processed the fact that he had just attacked his littermate, his wolf whirled around to meet the Beta trying to hold him from behind. His fist connected hard with Sam’s jaw and the younger brother went down with a loud groan. 

“Dean, stop it!” the last were in the room exclaimed with fear in his deep voice.

For a brief moment Dean thought it was working because when he met the frightened cobalt blue eyes of Castiel, his body came to a sudden halt. But then his mouth opened and he heard himself speaking in an unhuman tone. “Don’t get into my way, Omega!”

Dean had no idea whether he was using his Alpha powers, but he suspected it because Castiel whimpered like he had been hit and stumbled back until he hit the wall. That sight sent Dean’s mind over the final edge. If he had control over his voice, he was sure he would be screaming. Even his wolf was thrown off by his own actions, but it did nothing to help him gain back control. When he smelled a familiar Alpha entering – his leader – and keeping Sam in check, he surged up the stairs without another glance. It was too easy tracing the frightened Omega who was sitting at the edge of their bed. The door was open which caused the Alpha to approach Misha more slowly than usually.

Misha still looked at him wide-eyed and his breathing was too fast, but apparently he had no intention of hiding. “John used his Alpha powers, right?”

“Yes,” Dean answered him as he closed the door behind him. The lock sliding into place felt final.

“Then you don’t have a choice. Believe me, Dean, I know. Just make it quick.”

Misha sounded defeated, his eyes were filled with fear though.

Dean walked over to the bed until he was right in front of the Omega, unable to stop as he leaned down and pushed Misha onto his back.

Both men jumped when something hit the door hard.

“Dean, leave him alone or I swear to God I’ll kill you!” It was Jensen and he sounded almost feral.

“Please, Dean, don’t do this, I’m begging you!” That was Castiel, sounding more wrecked than anything else.

A shiver went through the Alpha and Misha could feel his body shaking from the effort to break free from the spell John had cast.

But then there was loud thump outside followed by a cry of pain from Jensen and John’s voice shouted through the door. “Now, Dean!”

Another violent tremor shook Dean’s body than his hands fisted in Misha’s shirt and pulled hard. Misha whimpered at the sound of tearing fabric that exposed his chest to the Alpha straddling him. It stirred a memory within him, something he had tried so hard to bury forever for the last few years.

_The image of Dean over him was replaced by another face, eyes glinting feverishly at him. Misha could still recall the exact tone with which the next words were spoken. “You were made for this, Omega.”_

A loud ringing in his ears brought Misha back into the present, the Alpha’s face faded back to Dean’s. It took Misha a moment to notice that the loud sound was him screaming. There were other sounds coming from outside, but they were drowned out by the onslaught of feelings surrounding Misha. Fear, desperation, hate… It was hard figuring them all out. At first Misha thought they were his own, but when he let them pour over him, he realized that it was Jensen’s aura.

His awe at the power behind it was short-lived though when Dean rolled his hips against him. It turned Misha’s scream into a groan and the Omega was mortified when he felt a bit of slick leaking from his ass. His body was betraying him.

“No!” Misha cried out and he trashed harder, trying to throw the Alpha off, but Dean was holding his hands down and his knees were keeping Misha’s legs away from anything that might hurt.

For the first time since this nightmare had begun, Misha’s eyes met Dean’s. What he found in them, was not what he had expected. There was no heat, no lust or desire. They were filled with tears, with pain and self-loathing. It was unlike anything Misha had ever seen. He couldn’t move when Dean closed those eyes, concealing that expression within himself. Then the Alpha leaned forward, the tip of his nose ghosting along Misha’s stubble for a brief moment before his teeth sank into the skin of the Omega’s throat.

The sudden pain drew a loud gasp from Misha and his body arched up into Dean’s while the Alpha’s pheromones seeped into his bloodstream. The bite itself wasn’t as painful as Misha had imagined; what really hurt though was the immediate aftermath. He could smell Jensen’s vanilla scent on him – something he had become used to by now – vanishing under Dean’s bergamot. That was when Misha realized he had been wrong about it all. He had been sure the worst thing about the claiming bite would be to witness the scent of his mate and himself mingling into one. But while it was indeed strange to feel the first strings of the eternal mating bond tug at his heart, the one thing that really hurt him was when he felt it erasing something else in his heart, something he hadn’t even known was there. He sobbed when he felt his bond with Dean erasing the thin thread of another bond.

Misha heard a devastated cry from outside, followed by a body slumping to the floor. Misha whined along with Jensen as their connection – the beginnings of what could have been a mating bond – dissolve into nothing.

Misha was sure the situation couldn’t get any worse when Dean recoiled as though he had been slapped. For the fraction of a second Misha feared Dean had recognized the bond with Jensen, but then he saw the shocked expression turn into despair before the emerald was drowned out by glowing red. 

“No!” Dean whispered and he rolled off the bed, crouching beside it on the floor like an animal in excruciating pain. Misha could feel the Alpha’s hurting through their fresh bond and he wondered what had caused it. Then Dean rose from the ground, his whole body trembling from its struggle between completing the mating and regaining his own will.

Dean managed to step away from the bed and unlock the door where he came face to face with John whose eyes drifted down to Dean’s throat before meeting the hostile gaze directed at him. “It’s not completed yet.”

Dean cringed but to Misha’s surprise he managed to withstand. “Get out of my house, Alpha!”

John’s brow furrowed. “I’m sorry?”

Dean growled so deep, it made the hair on Misha’s arms stand up. “Out! Now!”

John opened his mouth in protest when suddenly the front door of the house burst open and Sam came hurrying up the stairs with Ellen, Jo, Benny and Bobby in tow.

Ellen gripped John’s arm forcefully. “Don’t John! You’ve done enough damage already.”

John shook his head with an annoyed snarl. “I’m the clan leader and you-“

Bobby laid his hand on John’s other arm, his voice quiet but just as serious. “She’s right, John.”

John stared from one face to the next in disbelief before his eyes settled on Dean. The younger Alpha’s eyes were still red, but the glow had dimmed a bit.

Finally John seemed to realize what danger he was in with Dean somehow managing to break the clan leader’s control. With a scowl at Bobby and Ellen he turned around and left. As soon as he was out of the door, Dean looked down at the two Omegas lying on the floor. Castiel seemed to be too shaken by whatever had been happening to him to meet Dean’s gaze. “I could feel it tearing.” His voice was hollow.

Dean’s brain knew what Castiel was talking about, but he refused to acknowledge it. “Cas, I-“

He broke off when cobalt orbs snapped up to him and stared at him with betrayal. “It was our bond, wasn’t it? Or at least the start of it.”

Everyone’s shocked gaze turned towards Dean. The Alpha knew what they were thinking. A mating bond only started with either a claiming bite or constant intimate actions. It should be impossible for him and Castiel to have already formed a bond. But Dean remembered the weird feeling when he had bitten Misha, when something within him had snapped and feather light threads had disappeared only to be replaced by something stronger yet more aggressive.

Dean closed his eyes in defeat. “I’m so sorry, Cas.”

Before Castiel could respond, the other Omega on the ground rose to his feet and Dean really shouldn’t have been surprised when Jensen tackled him. With how easily Jensen’s and Misha’s scents had once mingled, he had expected them to have experienced a light bond as well and of course they were just as hurt as their siblings.

What took Dean off-guard though was the sincere violence in the attack. When Jensen had previously fought him, they had tried to win, not actually hurt. This time was different, because there was nothing left for Jensen to win. The moment Dean was on the ground with Jensen holding him down, Jensen’s fingernails lengthened and tore through the skin of Dean’s arms and before Dean had even registered that, Jensen’s mouth bit into the front of his throat hard. It was nothing like the claiming bite, it was much darker. Dean jolted under the unfamiliar pain of teeth sinking deep into his flesh. Dean’s wolf that usually was quick to counter such an assault hesitated, torn between the need to defend himself and his usual hesitancy when it came to harming Omegas. To his surprise it was Misha who came to his rescue. “Jensen, stop.”

Those words were barely more than a whisper, but enough to bring Jensen back from the edge. He pulled back and looked at Misha disbelievingly. “He hurt you.”

Misha shook his head, but stayed quiet as though he was still too shocked to say more. Slowly Jensen got off the ground and walked over to Misha. Very carefully he lifted his hand and touched the mark at Misha’s throat. Dean wasn’t sure if he was imagining it, but he could have sworn that something in his own chest tightened as though he was the one being touched. He felt the urge to tell Jensen he should leave Misha, but he kept his mouth shut and ignored this strange possessiveness towards his new mate. As he watched the sad look Jensen and Misha exchanged, Dean fully realized what he had just done. In forcefully claiming Misha he had just violently cut off two natural formed mating bonds; the one between Jensen and Misha and the one he had shared with Castiel. With a single act he had permanently destroyed four lives.

“I’m sorry,” Dean whispered, not sure who he was actually addressing. He felt Misha’s eyes drift to him, but he couldn’t meet them. “It’s not your fault, Dean.”

Dean didn’t believe him, he couldn’t. He wondered how Misha could even stand to look at him right now. Dean had promised he wouldn’t force Misha into anything, no matter what Michael or John said. And the exact opposite had happened.

Dean had taken the three Omegas in to protect them from Alphas who could violate them and ironically  _he_ had ended up being the one to hurt them all.

His throat closed up and he couldn’t breathe. He needed to be punished for this. His vision blurred and he began to feel lightheaded. Suddenly a shadow appeared in front of him and he felt hands cupping his face gently. The touch burned like fire, but it grounded Dean. When the dark blue eyes in front of him lit up, Dean finally snapped back into the here and now.

“Dean, I need you to breathe.” It was Castiel, his voice more commanding than what should have been possible for an Omega facing an Alpha. Dean’s body complied as though he was on autopilot. The first intake of breath was a dose of Castiel, heavy ozone and subtle fuchsia. He still felt the same pull towards it than before, but now there was some kind of hesitance probably due to his mating bond. It made him feel even more torn than usual.

A cough from Ellen interrupted Dean’s thought. “I think we all need a drink now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is all I have written up to this point. Anyone interested in me continuing this?


End file.
